


Cloak and Dagger

by quietpastelcolours



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Zelgan Big Bang 2016, and smug Ganondorf, but its a gooey love story all the same, here we have feisty Zelda, plus smut, theres a pretty big plot twist in the middle, who 'rescues' her, who is a runaway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 13:42:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6053709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietpastelcolours/pseuds/quietpastelcolours
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Princess Zelda is informed by her father that at the age of nineteen she is to be wed to a King thirty years her senior, she runs away to explore and experience life in her Kingdom as she has never known it. During her travels, she breaks her ankle in an accident, and is found by a Gerudo man who calls himself a King. </p><p>Ganondorf Dragmire is entirely confused by the Princess suddenly deposited in his lap, for she is concealing her identity, yet seems to have no idea who he is. Is this a trap... or is she genuine?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Escape

**Author's Note:**

> This was my entry for the Zelgan Big Bang hosted on Tumblr in February 2016! :D 
> 
> Many thanks to defunctzombie.tumblr.com for beta reading, and a massive thank you to gerudoshikyapril.tumblr.com for creating the Gerudo language used in this fic :P 
> 
> Another huge thank you to selahexanimo, who did an amazing job creating a wonderful podfic for this story as part of the Zelgan BB - the link to this is at the end of the fic.

The Princess of Hyrule moved sedately down the corridor; the calm of her exterior hiding the tumultuous crash of nerves within.

“Goodnight, Zelda my dear.”

Zelda turned and waved at her mother. “Goodnight Mamma.” She replied cheerily; under no circumstances was her mother, the Queen of Hyrule, allowed to know what she was planning. She wasn’t sure where her father was, only that he was probably still tucked away somewhere with the King of Labrynna, planning and plotting her wedding. She made a face involuntarily as she moved down the hall towards her room.

Her father had decided that the best way to cement an alliance with Labrynna was for her to marry the King – a man thirty years her senior, and really quite unattractive, in more ways then just that of physical appearance. King Caenar was of course thrilled with the match – who wouldn’t be? Zelda scoffed sourly, for she knew very well she was lusted over by many a man, for who didn’t want the beautiful, elegant Princess Zelda, who was not only ethereally fair of face, figure and fortune, but was also blessed by the Goddess Nayru as the Bearer of Wisdom? Yes, there were quite a few aspiring nobles, Kings and minor Princes who were quite put out that she was to marry Caenar.

She reached her bedroom, where her personal maid was waiting. Having bathed and dressed, and had her hair neatly braided ready for bed, Zelda dismissed the girl, then put her plan into action. She’d been thinking about how she would pull this off for weeks now; she’d tricked Link, the Captain of the Guard into letting her into his office, where she’d memorised guard placements and rotations. She was ready for this, ready to escape. Pulling her prepacked knapsack from the hiding place behind a panel of the wall, Zelda tossed it onto her bed, then set about changing from her flimsy nightgown into a suitable disguise. She couldn’t take any of her gowns; none of them were any good for adventuring, and anyway, they’d instantly give her away. Instead, she’d spent many a covert hour stitching together a new outfit; as a princess, her skills with a needle had been honed for fine needlework since a very young age, and she was very proud of what she’d managed to concoct.

A nondescript pair of trousers were to be worn tucked into long leather boots (she’d had to bribe the stable boy to let her take her riding boots back to her room), and a billowy white shirt went over that. A plain cloak completed the ensemble, along with a scarf (of sorts) with which to conceal her hair and face. Having dressed, Zelda picked up her knapsack and slung her dagger around her waist. That had been very difficult to acquire, and had required her to bribe the blacksmith as well as lie to him about her reasons for needing a weapon. Covering her hair and pulling her scarf up over her nose, she checked and doubled checked her provisions and money were all there; and suddenly, she was ready to go.

Zelda stared around her room with a suddenly heavy heart; it pained her to leave like this, but she refused to be married to Caenar. She still suspected she might eventually, but it depended on her journey. She refused to marry him still so ignorant about life in general. She wanted to _live_ , to explore, to have fun. She was only nineteen, for the love of all that was holy! She didn’t want to marry yet, and especially to a man like the Labrynnian King.

Taking a deep breath, Zelda carefully set her diadem on her bed, took one last look at her room, said one final silent goodbye to her parents, and turned to the window. She’d planned this; this side of the castle was covered in thick ivy, thick enough to hold her weight. She took a moment to hum a quick litany of notes, causing a faint golden glow to shimmer over her skin, before fading to nothing. Now, her body was faintly hazy, like a mirage; she wouldn’t be seen unless someone was actively looking for her. Her heart in her mouth, Zelda carefully slid out the window and began to climb; from now, she had fifteen minutes to get from the fourth floor of the castle to the ground and then over to the marble fountain before the next guard came through. There were several hair-raising moments when the ivy started detaching from the wall, but she made it in safety with about thirty seconds to spare, diving behind the fountain as the guard rounded the corner.

Now the tricky part was over, and the hard part began. She had to navigate the gardens in the dark, in total silence, all the while avoiding the guards. Zelda bit her lip and began, taking slow, hesitant steps, sticking to the edges of the hedges and working her way around the guards until she found herself peering anxiously at the side gates. There were eight guards just milling around in that general vicinity, and a few more in the guard tower. She considered how she was going to do this. Eventually, she came up with a plan. Her charm was still in effect, so if anyone looked at her she’d resemble something of a hazy ghost, but still, it wasn’t enough to get her though unnoticed. She needed a distraction.

Picking up a rock, she hurled it as hard as she could away from her, grinning as every guard in the vicinity started towards the sound. As quietly as she could, she hummed a note or two, causing a small explosion of light to go off near where she’d thrown the stone. Instantly, all but two guards ran off to investigate, and Zelda made her move. She ran as fast as she could; the guards realised what was happening and put up a cry. She hit one of them, bouncing sideways and nearly falling, but keeping her feet as she tore outside of the gates and down the street. She didn’t stop running until she was a safe distance away, and then she stopped, leaning against a wall and laying a hand over her rapidly beating heart as she listened to the distant shouting of the guards.

She’d done it. Her breath pounded in her ears and she gave herself a congratulatory smile. She was out of the castle, and she was Princess Zelda no more. Now, she was… _hmm_. Zelda wasn’t sure what she was going to call herself yet, but she had plenty of time to think about it. Turning, she made her way through the streets of Castle Town and to her freedom. She walked all night, but considering she’d only gone to bed at four, she’d only been walking for a few hours. She’d made it out of the town and was somewhere in the middle of the Trilby Highlands; where she was going, she wasn’t sure. Zelda had a vague plan of wandering about from province to province, just enjoying the view and life. For the first three days, it was perfect. She had made it to Lanayru, and spent happy hours gallivanting about the countryside, occasionally stopping to buy food from some small village or other, and generally enjoying herself. The week following that, however, and her sore muscles began to catch up to her. She was quite fit, (or so she thought) and fought, fenced and trained along with the soldiers, but that didn’t prepare her for life like this. By now, the entire Kingdom was buzzing with the noise of the missing princess.

Zelda was quite confused; for all she ever heard was that she had been kidnapped. That wasn’t true at all, she knew, so why hadn’t her parents told the truth? She’d left a note explaining things, and it was really quite bewildering. Still, she didn’t bring herself up much to the locals, preferring to stay a silent stranger, ducking out of sight whenever troops of soldiers came through searching for her, and by wearing her scarf so it covered her hair and keeping her head lowered when amongst people, she managed to conceal herself from the attention of most people.

By the fifth week, Zelda was well and truly used to roughing it, to sleeping on the ground and going long periods of time without bathing, which of course as a princess, would once have been out of the question. It was sometime in the sixth week that Zelda had reached the Goron’s territory. She’d been into a few of their villages, and was now following the trails across the mountain path; the lowest one, according to the Gorons’ she’d asked. She might want to see the Gerudo desert, but she didn’t want to climb several bloody mountains to get there. The mountain pass was gorgeous and awe inspiring, if very, _very_ hot. After a few hours Zelda had crossed the main pass, and, with a short climb onto a rocky shelf, she could see the desert. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before; a massive piece of sand, with rolling dunes that looked gently curving from here but were in all probability massive in person, large rocky outcrops and jagged pillars of stone rising like skeletal fingers into the sky. Very far away in the distance, she could see the evidence of ruins standing solemn and still against the sky, and if she squinted very hard, she could see movement, though if it were Gerudo or heat shimmer, she couldn’t tell.

Zelda had never met a Gerudo before, only learned of them in books during her lessons. She really hoped she might meet one, but she wasn’t stupid; she only would if they came to the outskirts of the desert at the same moment that she did, for she didn’t have the skills or the resources to survive on her own in the desert. With a happy smile she’d seen the sands at least, she turned to leave, paying little attention to where she put her feet. This would turn out to be a mistake. Loose stone shifted under one foot, and she staggered, off balance, and over compensated. With a scream, she lost her balance entirely and fell, her body hitting the unforgiving stone and rolling off the cliff before she could break her fall. She screamed until she hit the ground, and her world went black.

* * *

 

When Zelda awoke, the first thing she noticed was that everything hurt. With a low groan, she experimentally tried to move different parts of herself. Her arms she could move, and her torso too. Her head was able to be lifted even though it throbbed, and cautiously, she pushed herself up, then cried out in pain as agony jarred through one ankle. At that moment, large warm hands took hold of her shoulders and pushed her back down again.

“Lie down.” Demanded a rough voice in deeply accented Hylian. She blinked; she’d never heard an accent like that before.

“Wha – what happened to me?” She asked, rubbing her temples, only too happy to lie down again.

“You fell.” Said the rough voice shortly, and she nodded, vaguely remembering something of the sort happening.

“That makes sense.” She said, feeling her shoulder with a wince; it seemed she’d have a large bruise there from the pain. “Who are you?”

Zelda opened her eyes, searching for the owner of the voice. She turned her head slightly, and there he was. A massive, imposing beast of man, far taller than anyone she’d seen before, with very dark skin and bright fiery red hair that hung down his back. He wore nothing but trousers and a smirk. A curious expression lurked deep in the depths of his golden eyes; something very close to hatred, but that was ridiculous. Why would he hate her? The looked faded to confusion the longer she watched him.

“My name is of no concern.” He said, frowning. “What I want to know is who _you_ are.”

She hesitated for a moment. “My name is... Tetra.” She said, and closed her eyes. “Is there nothing that doesn’t hurt?” She asked rhetorically.

The strange man gave a dark chuckle. “Here.” He said after a long moment. “Drink this, and you’ll feel better.”

She opened one suspicious eye. “What is it?”

“It’s a… well, I don’t think there’s a Hylian word for it. It’s… a potion, I suppose. It aids healing and takes away pain.”

Very gingerly, she sat up, careful not to jostle her ankle. “Thank you.” Taking the bottle, she sniffed it and took a sip. It was surprisingly sweet. “Mmm!” She said, licking her lips. “This is really good.”

The man’s lips twitched up slightly. “It’s made from herbs… and three types of grub.”

He chuckled at the look of horror on her face.

Zelda put the bottle to the side and carefully prodded her ankle. “I think my ankle’s broken or fractured or something.” She said with a grimace.

“You’re lucky that’s your only injury.” He said, watching her with a curious look on his face. “I saw you fall. What were you doing up there?”

“I came over the pass from the nearest Goron village. I wanted to see the Gerudo desert; I’ve never seen it before.” She replied, wondering how undignified she’d looked when she fell, and also where he’d been hiding when she had. Zelda was fairly sure she’d have seen him if he was there, large and eye catching as he was.

“I see.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Why? What do you mean, why? I’ve never seen the desert, and I was curious about it. That’s why.”

“I meant, why has a young Hylian woman of obvious quality ventured on her own to the desert?”

Zelda flushed slightly and looked down. “How do you know I’m of quality?”

“Your hands.” He said matter-of-factly. She frowned and looked at the offending digits. The big man reached out and grabbed her right hand, turning it so her palm faced the ceiling, gently touching one of his fingertips to hers. She wore fingerless gloves to conceal her Triforce, and though her fingers had tanned a little in her travels, they were still dainty and pale next to his. “These hands are smooth and white as a lily. You’ve never done a good days work in your life.”

She frowned. “I resent that. For your information, I would never have been allowed to work, even if I’d wanted to. So there.”

He raised a brow and released her. “Which brings me back to my question. What is a young Hylian lady of obviously wealthy, and dare I say _noble_ stock doing out here on her own?”

Zelda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I… am taking a detour in my life. My papa has arranged marriage for me, but I don’t… I don’t _want_ to get married yet.”

The man looked sceptical. “So tell him no.” He said, as if it were obvious.

“Hah! That’s easy for you to say. I’m from… a prominent family, and my father made the match without consulting me. I only found out when my husband-to-be arrived on my doorstep and kissed my hand. I can’t refuse him to his face, for it would insult my fiancé greatly, and so… I’m taking a holiday. I want to see what I can see before I go home, get married to a man thirty years my senior and have four children in three years.”

She lay back down with a huff, folding her arms and worrying her lips with her teeth.

The man was quiet for a moment. “It sounds ridiculous to me.” He offered finally. “My sisters would knock someone’s teeth out if such a decision were made about their future behind their back.”

“Then I envy your sisters.” She mumbled. A thought occurred to her then, and she sat up, ignoring the pain in her ankle for the moment.

“Where are we, exactly?” Now that she thought about it, this was not the base of the cliff she’d fallen off. This appeared to be a cave, lit by a campfire. It was furnished with bedrolls and food supplies; obviously a designated home for people.

“This is one of the hideouts my people use to break their journey.”

“Your people?”

He gave her a strange look. “Gerudo.” He elaborated, as if it were obvious.

Zelda’s mouth dropped open. “ _Gerudo?_ You can’t be Gerudo.” His colouring, however…. It told a different story, but that meant he contradicted everything she’d ever been taught. She wasn’t sure what to believe.

This made him look at her as if she’d lost her mind. “…And why not, exactly?”

“Gerudo are always women.” She said firmly, thinking back to her lessons. “There’s not been a male Gerudo in hundreds of years.”

There was a short silence. “Out of the two of us, who is more likely to be correct?” He inquired with a nasty sneer on his face. “The uppity Hylian girl who’s never even seen the desert before, or the Gerudo man who’s lived there all his life?”

Zelda looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” She apologised. “It’s just that my tutors have always taught me that the last Gerudo King – I can’t remember his name – died many centuries ago, and there hasn’t been one since. They never spent much time teaching me about your people.” She tilted her head. “So that means the history books are wrong. That’s… interesting.”

He shrugged a casual shoulder. “I’m not surprised, actually. We keep ourselves to ourselves now days.” A shadow crossed his face. “I don’t care to publicise my existence to Hylians.”

She nodded. “Fair enough. So… what’s happening now, exactly?”

The man grinned. “It’s nightfall – you were out for a little while, and then I gave you something to sleep off the worst of your injuries, in case you were concussed. You’ve been asleep for hours. There is food if you wish it, and a bedroll over there, so-”

Zelda interrupted. “What? You don’t expect me to stay here, _overnight_ , with you?”

He looked confused. “Yes, what’s wrong with- oh.” He rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself. I’m not going to touch you.”

“That’s not the point.” She said stiffly. “As an unmarried woman, it wouldn’t be proper for me to-”

“-I thought you said you didn’t _want_ to be married!” The man looked confused, then changed tack. “So I take it, then, that you’re going to limp across the mountains by yourself in the dark with a broken ankle?”

She pursed her lips but didn’t reply, and he grinned crookedly, revealing sharp fangs.

“I didn’t think so.” He leaned towards a cooking pot bubbling away on the fire. “You have a choice of gruel, gruel, and more gruel. Oh, and a bit of bread, I guess.”

“Thank you.”

The man was silent while he dished the gruel into simple brass bowls, handing one to her along with a spoon. He’d not yet suggested anything along the lines of examining her ankle; she rather got the impression that he did it on purpose, to cause her more pain. Well, if he was going to be like that, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that her ankle was in pure agony.

“So if I’m to spend the night here.” She began. “May I at least know your name?”

He frowned slightly, but nodded. “My name is Ganondorf Dragmire.” His eyes watched hers intently, and she noted the way his knuckles tightened on his spoon, almost as though he was waiting for something.

“Thank you, Ganondorf, for helping me. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t.”

Something close to confusion flashed across his face, replaced by curiosity as he replied. “You’re welcome. _Tetra_.” For some reason, she got the feeling that he knew that wasn’t her real name.

She didn’t remember. She didn’t know. Either that, or she was a terrific liar. Ganondorf eyed the princess curiously. It was blindingly obvious who she was; he hadn’t really even needed to remove her glove to see her Triforce; he’d known it the moment he looked at her. She looked much the same as ever; while it was true that the bearers of Wisdom did change in physical appearance over their different lifetimes, they all exuded a kind of air, a veritable aura of… wisdom. She had it in spades. So this was the Princess Zelda of this life.

He wondered why she didn’t seem to know that he existed. He’d expected her to get defensive the moment she realised he was Gerudo, for that immediately designated him as Ganondorf, the bearer of Power. But she hadn’t even known that a male Gerudo existed. Evidently, her parents had gone to great lengths to protect her from this knowledge, no doubt to save their daughter from the call of destiny. How interesting, how _devastating_ it was that despite their attempts, they were face to face once more. The Gods were indeed cruel.

But what would he do now? Ganondorf considered things carefully. To tell the truth, the moment he’d realised who she was, he’d had the blade pressed against her throat to kill her almost without realising it. Instead of slitting her throat there and then, however, he’d lowered the blade and nursed her back to consciousness, wanting to see the fear in her eyes before he killed her. But there was _no_ _fear_. That frustrated him. Zelda’s eyes were clear and trusting as she looked at him, and he felt… conflicted. Eventually, he decided he’d leave her alive for the moment. Who knew? Perhaps he could get ‘Tetra’, to impart some information without her realising it.

Setting aside his empty bowl, he waited until she had finished her meal. “How’s the ankle?” He asked. _There_ – she ought to be in quite a bit of pain now, and now he felt a touch guilty for letting her sit there in obvious agony. Now that he knew she didn’t know who he was, he had no reason to make her hurt. Zelda set aside her bowl with a grimace.

“It hurts.” She said matter-of-factly.

“If it’s broken, we need to set it before you go to sleep.” Ganondorf rummaged through his supplies, pulling out a splint and several lengths of bandages, before moving to kneel at her feet.

“If I were you, I’d bite something.”

Zelda’s eyes widened, but she did as he suggested, pulling her scarf from around her neck, wadding it up and stuffing it in her mouth.

“Ready?” He asked.

She nodded, her fingers clutching at her thighs.

Slowly, he unbuckled her boot, attempting to avoid jostling her ankle, but it was unavoidable. When he pulled her boot and sock off, she went bone white, and a strangled kind of moan-cry escaped her throat, muffled by the cloth. Carefully, Ganondorf felt the bone, assessing the damage, and nodded grimly.

“It’s definitely fractured at the very least. That’s unfortunate; you’d have been much better off if you’d just sprained it.”

Zelda nodded at him, seemingly beyond words from the pain.

After a while he had her ankle properly bound and splinted, and Zelda looked a little better, though she was still very pale.

“Thank you.” She said, spitting the material out of her mouth.

Ganondorf grunted in acknowledgement, and stood, moving towards the bedrolls. He spread his out, then grabbed one of the spares, laying it beside the princess.

“Here.” He said, frowning at her. It was just his luck that not only did he have an injured girl to worry about, she just so happened to be his mortal enemy.

She smiled up at him, utterly trusting. _How?_ Even if she didn’t know who he was, he was still Gerudo. Had Hylian’s magically stopped discriminating against Gerudo in the seventy odd years since his last life had been there? He doubted it, and yet… Zelda seemed utterly at ease with him here. The only time she’d shown any concern was when she was thinking about the fact that she, a woman, was alone with him, a man. No race involved. It was perplexing, to say the least. Well, he knew that, for now, he couldn’t allow her to know he was the bearer of Power. Surely she’d know the Triforce of Power when she saw it, and he did want to question her. Ganondorf flexed his fingers inside his gloves – he would not remove them even for a second in her presence.

“Thank you.” She said, carefully shifting herself onto the roll without hurting her ankle and pulling off her other boot. “Good night.”

He nodded, and lay down on his own roll, watching the flickering pattern of the flames on the ceiling of the cave for a while. This was an odd situation to have ended up in, and he prayed to his Goddess to send him aid – to give him some idea of what to do – while he slept.


	2. Unexpected Journeys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf decides he wants to know more about 'Tetra', and takes her into the desert to recuperate from her injury at the Gerudo fortress. They spend the journey getting to know each other a little better.

 

 

The following morning brought him to consciousness before Zelda did, and Ganondorf let her sleep, for she _had_ fallen off a cliff only the day before. Eventually, he had nearly everything packed, and breakfast was ready, so he shook her awake.

Zelda wrinkled her nose and attempted to roll over, but her ankle didn’t take kindly to that, and her eyes flew open on a gasp as she shot upright with a small noise of pain.

He watched her with a small amount of sympathy; he’d broken plenty of bones, and knew the pain of moving them too soon.

“Breakfast is ready.” He said shortly, moving to collect the bowls, giving her more of the pain-numbing potion. She wrinkled her nose when she picked it up, but drank without complaint.

Zelda thanked him, and they ate in silence. The Princess rolled up her bedroll and passed it to him, and once everything was packed up, Ganondorf sat on a rock and looked at her.

“Now.” He said. “Time to work out exactly what I’m going to do with you.”

Zelda blushed faintly. “Um, if you help me back to the pass, I could get back to the Goron village on my own?” She offered.

He shook his head. “Not an option. I’m not welcome in Goron territory.”  
“Oh. Then what…?”

Ganondorf smirked at her. “There’s only one thing to do. You come with me into the desert.”  
Her eyes widened. “The desert?” She asked.

“Yes. You said yourself you’ve never been there. Consider it an adventure, if you will.”

He waited to see what she would say. The Princess pursed her lips.

“Am I… welcome in the desert?” She asked hesitantly.

 _Hmm_. Maybe she wasn’t completely ignorant to the rift between their people after all.

He shrugged. “I am the King. If I say you are, then you are.”

Zelda nodded. “Thank you.”

Now things were settled, Ganondorf smirked at her and moved forwards, scooping her into his arms. She let out a startled gasp and stared at him with wide eyes.

“What?” He asked conversationally. “You can’t _walk_.”

“True.” She wasn’t looking at him now. “But a little warning would have been nice.”

“My apologies, Tetra. I am, of course, _terribly_ sorry my manners aren’t up to the standards of Hylian nobility _.”_ Ganondorf said sarcastically, eying her curiously as she frowned. He wanted to test her.

She pursed her lips. “I did not mean to imply your manner’s were lacking.” She said stiffly, and he rolled his eyes.

By now they were out of the cave, walking down a craggy incline to where the sand started. He didn’t feel much like carrying her across the dunes, and thanked the Goddess that Zelda had had the good sense to fall off a cliff fairly close to the tunnels.

They walked for roughly four kilometres, speaking only when necessary. It was a hard slog, despite how tiny and light she was, carrying her across the sand.

Zelda sat uncomfortably in Ganondorf’s arms, cursing herself for her own stupidity. How could she have just fallen like that? Why hadn’t she been more careful? She had her knapsack and his waterskin resting on her lap, and she was in charge of feeding him mouthfuls of water from time to time, since his hands were full. By now, she wasn’t entirely sure if the flush to her cheeks was from the heat or from his proximity.

Peering out over the dunes, she couldn’t see a single thing that looked remotely liveable; just jagged rock jutting out of the sand.

“So… where do you live, exactly?” She asked, looking up at him. “You don’t mean to carry me across the entire desert, do you?”

Ganondorf chuckled slightly. “Not quite, but… we do have a fair distance to go.”

After an hour of walking, Ganondorf put her down in the shade of an outcropping of rock and sat down himself, holding out a hand for the waterskin. Zelda handed it over and he guzzled it for a few long minutes. She bit her lip. There was every possibility that they would run out.

“Do you have more water?” She asked, picking at a loose thread on her cloak. She’d had to take it off because she was melting, and now had it folded loosely in her lap.

Ganondorf shook his head. “No. When this runs out, that’s it.”

She frowned at him. “You sound quite a bit more cheerful than you really ought to be about it.”

He laughed. “Ordinarily, there’d be cause for concern, you’re right.” He pointed to her left. “But there’s a spring roughly six kilometres that way.” Ganondorf closed his eyes and leaned back against the stone.   
Zelda bit her lip, knowing that despite his strength, it was hard for him to walk across the desert while carrying her; the heat, walking on loose sand... “Thank you for doing this.” She said. “For carrying me all this way. You didn’t have to, and I just… wanted to say thank you.”

He opened one eye. “You’re welcome, I suppose.” He closed the eye again, and Zelda occupied herself with poking around in her knapsack, letting him rest. After two hours, during which Ganondorf napped in the most uncomfortable looking position ever and Zelda built sandcastles, he woke up.

Ganondorf watched Zelda surreptitiously, who was humming to herself as she jammed a few loose stones into a pile of sand, then made a dramatic noise and punched it. He snorted a laugh, and she jumped, looking a little sheepish with her hands buried in the sand. When he raised a brow, she looked embarrassed, pulling her hands free.

“I was re-enacting an earthquake.” She said, which made him snicker.

“I’d never have imagined that Hylian nobility go in for such childish pursuits.” He teased.

Zelda rolled her eyes. “As it happens, my parents and my nanny would have had a fit if I got anywhere near dirt when I was little. I’m revisiting my childhood, thank you very much.”

“You must have had a truly terrible life then.”  
She looked a little sad. “Yes, well, it wasn’t too bad; it just wasn’t much fun. When you are born into Hylian nobility as a girl, there are only really a few acceptable pastimes.”

Ganondorf took a sip of water. “Like what?”

She shrugged. “Music, dance, embroidery, drawing, reading. That’s it, really. I had to fight tooth and nail to get Papa to let me learn fencing.”

 _She’s trained with a blade?_ Granted, a rapier would not be much chop in a real fight, but… from what he’d seen so far, this Zelda wasn’t the prissiest he’d ever seen. She was graceful and elegant looking, true, but… he could tell she wouldn’t object to hard work if need be. What a shame, then, that she hadn’t been allowed to give reign to her true nature. Ganondorf raised a brow, feeling something close to pity. “What a boring life.”

Zelda looked at her hands. “It’s all right.” She said. “I am well educated, and I’ve always had a roof over my head and plentiful clothing and food. It’s more than some people can say.”

 _So she’s humble too_. He found himself rather intrigued by the princess. “So if you lived a life of luxury, why run away?” He answered his own question. “Because you don’t want to marry?”

Zelda nodded. “Yes… and no. I intend to marry, eventually. It’s my duty to make a good match. I just… I wish I could choose my husband myself. On my own terms.”

“Can’t you tell your father that?”

“I have! He just tells me not to worry, and that it’ll all work out in the end. Of course, what Papa means by that is that once I’ve borne my husband an heir, he’ll leave me alone. What kind of life is that?”

Ganondorf shook his head. “Hylian’s are peculiar people indeed. I don’t understand why you’re all so willing to sacrifice personal happiness for duty.”

There was the most peculiar emotion lurking in those clear blue eyes. “Wouldn’t you?” She asked softly. “I mean, you said you were King, so would you choose your happiness over your people?”

He frowned. “Well, no, but it depends on the situation. My choosing a partner has no real impact on my people, so it wouldn’t matter.”

Zelda gave a tired sort of laugh. “Hmm. Lucky you. If _I_ refuse marriage, then my husband-to-be would be very insulted, and he would no longer be on good terms with my father, which would lead to… issues. They are both powerful men, and their… _business_ pursuits would clash.”

He had to admit that it was kind of amusing watching her dance around the fact that her father was King of Hyrule. “And this husband to be?” Ganondorf asked, pulling a strip of jerky from his supplies, and tossing Zelda one. “Is he also a Hylian noble?” He was curious. To which man was she engaged?

“He’s Labrynnian, actually.”   
That didn’t surprise him. Either it was the King or some highflying noble. What a step up for the man if he was.

“A noble? Or royalty?” He asked, concealing his smirk when her head snapped up suspiciously.

“Royalty?” She asked sharply. “Why would you think that?”

He waved an airy hand. “From what I understand of Hylian politics, there have been numerous Kings who have married wealthy young girls for their pretty faces instead of foreign princesses.” Ganondorf smirked at her. “You’re pretty enough for it, but are you wealthy enough?”

She blushed slightly. “Thank you.” Her voice was quiet. “I am wealthy, yes, but I’m not engaged to the King.”

He nodded, but didn’t accept it as absolute truth; she was probably lying. From her description and her reaction, Ganondorf deduced that she was engaged to the King of Labrynna. He doubted her father would marry such a prize off to a mere nobleman. He’d never met the king, but he’d seen a portrait of the man; short, grey, portly and widowed with two daughters who would be roughly the same age as Zelda, he could see why it was such an unattractive prospect for her.

“And what about you?” She asked, a gleam of curiosity in her eyes. “Are you married?”

Ganondorf raised a brow. “No I’m not.” He said, mildly affronted. “Gerudo do not believe in marriage.”

Zelda wrinkled her nose. “My apologies. I forgot.” She smirked up at him then. “So you don’t have any heirs to carry on your line?”

He frowned. “Not yet.”

She grinned and rested her chin in her hands. “If you were a woman I’d tell you to hurry up before your womb shrivels and falls out.”

Ganondorf stared at her. _“What?”_

Zelda giggled. “That’s what everyone tells me all the time.” She said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s supposed to encourage all the ladies to marry young.”

“That’s… ridiculous.” He was curious despite himself. “ _Has_ anyone’s womb ever shrivelled and fallen out?”

She looked intrigued. “Now that you mention it, no, I don’t think so. Hah! I’ll be able to tell Lady Merin that when I see her next. She’s forever implying that I ought to marry soon.” She rolled her eyes again.

Ganondorf grinned and climbed to his feet. The worst of the midday heat was over now, and he wanted to get to the spring soon. He offered Zelda a sip of the water skin, then took some himself before he scooped her up and set off once more.

He preferred not to speak; walking across the dunes was hard enough when he wasn’t carrying an entire extra person. To her credit, Zelda was an easy passenger; she didn’t wiggle, she was light, and she dutifully gave him water when he asked for it.

Eventually, after a very long walk during which he came to spend an awful lot of time hating the sun, they arrived at the spring. He’d thought there might have been a camp there, but it was empty. Setting Zelda down on the ground, he crossed to the spring and stuck his face in it, drinking deeply and relishing the feel of the cool water on his skin.

Using his vest to wipe down his face, he watched as Zelda hopped to the spring, sitting on the edge and refilling her water skin. Ganondorf rolled his eyes. Of course she was too prim and proper to risk getting wet. A streak of childish vindictiveness overtook him, and he dipped his fingers in the water and tossed a handful at her.

Zelda blinked slowly and glared at Ganondorf as she wiped her face clean, then scooped up some water of her own and threw it at him. He only snickered and flicked more at her. It soon devolved in to a free for all water fight, and it only ended when Zelda lost her balance and fell head first into the spring. She was only underwater for a moment or two, when large hands seized her waist and pulled her clear. Ganondorf placed her on the sand, practically dying of laughter at the look on her face. After a long moment, Zelda saw the funny side and began to laugh as well. After the giggles had finally subsided, she pushed herself to her feet, hopping towards a convenient sunny rock and lying down.

“I’m going to dry myself now.”

Ganondorf was still snickering as he filled the rest of the water skins, and Zelda ignored him as she basked in the warm sun. The dampness of her clothing was the perfect antidote to the heat, and she dried quite quickly. Once she was decidedly less damp, she sat up, watching Ganondorf as he pulled things from his pack. Zelda hopped over to where he sat in the shade, and sat down beside him, eyeing his cloak as he spread it on the ground to sit on. It was a decidedly different construction to her own – for one thing, it only went to his waist, and was covered in interesting geometric designs and symbols, and the hood vaguely resembled a scarf. It was odd – it suited him – but it was odd.

“So.” She asked curiously, poking at her swollen ankle and grimacing at it. “Where to from here?”

He pointed further west. “Do you see where the cliffs begin?”

Zelda peered at the desert until she spotted it. “Yes.”

“Well, we have a fortress there – in what you call Gerudo – our language is called _Ehenív_ \- you’d call it _va pín nadana alforf_.”

She wrinkled her nose. “How do you say it? _Eh – ehen_ -” She gave up. “It’s a very long way away.”

“ _Ehenív_.” Ganondorf looked amused. “And yes, it is a long way. That’s why we are camping here tonight.” He leaned back against a rock, pulling some of his long hair over his shoulder. “You ought to get some rest. We’ll leave early to avoid the sun.”

She raised a brow. “ _I_ ought to rest? I’m not the one carrying an entire extra person across a desert.”

 

Ganondorf snickered and put both his hands behind his head, which highlighted his biceps in a most distracting fashion. Zelda blinked and made herself look at his eyes. His bare chest and arms were miles away from what Hylian courtiers wore, and more than that, she was almost positive Hylian men did not look like that beneath their clothes.

He was smirking a way that looked decidedly like he knew what she was thinking, and Zelda bit her lip and looked at her hands instead.

“I can handle it.” He said assuredly. “There’s nothing I can’t handle.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t boast, please. It’s not very becoming.”

Ganondorf raised a brow. “It’s not boasting if it’s true.” He declared, and Zelda giggled, shrugging slightly.

“Vanity has been the downfall of many a King.” She said, amused. “You ought to keep that in mind.”

He scoffed. “I’m not vain.” There was a small pause. “Okay, maybe I am… _but_ that’s not going to be my downfall.”

“You sound very certain. Do you know your own path so well?”

“Well enough.”

By now, the sun was setting, with whorls of fantastical streaks of pink and orange miking with dusky blue, nary a cloud in sight.

“It’s so beautiful here.” She said, frank appreciation in her tone. “It’s like a painting. It can’t be real.”

Ganondorf sounded quite proud when he replied. “I’m glad you like it. Not many easterners do. They think it’s boring and empty and hot.”

“Well, it is hot.” Zelda snickered and touched his arm lightly. “But that doesn’t detract from the beauty.”

His intense golden gaze roamed over her face. “No. It certainly doesn’t.”

“What’s that?” She asked, pointing to a very faint glow on the horizon.

“That’s the Desert Colossus. _Va Navuhasa Shimaba_.” He said shortly. “The keepers of the spirit temple light beacons each night in honour of our Goddess.”

She felt a little confused. “What did you say? Was that Gerudo?”

He nodded. “ _Va Navuhasa Shimaba_. It means ‘the Spirit Temple’. It is the sacred home of our Goddess.”

Zelda thought for a moment. “That’s the Goddess of the Sand, right?”

“Yes. She is our patron who watches over and protects us. In return, we honour her with feasts and offerings.”

She nodded. “I see. What’s the temple like? I saw an illustration once; it looked quite beautiful.”

Ganondorf nodded almost reverently. “It is beautiful. The temple is found by our sacred eternal oasis, and a representation of the Goddess –we call her _va Me-Éshi–_ is carved into the cliff above the door. Most Gerudo make pilgrimages there every so often, to pay their respects.”

“It sounds lovely. Are there more churches?”

“Churches?”

Zelda elaborated. “In Hyrule, there are churches in which the three can be worshipped in most towns. Are there many temples in the desert? In your fortresses, perhaps?”

Ganondorf shook his head. “No, there’s the main temple, and then there’s shrines in the fortresses, but no. We don’t have many temples.” A shadow crossed his face, and in the dim light, he looked really quite dangerous. “We used to, but they were destroyed by Hyrule long ago.”

Zelda looked down. “Oh. I – I’m sorry.”

“Are you?”

She blinked, confused. Was he trying to imply that she wouldn’t feel compassion for such an event? She’d learned that in centuries past, Hyrule had been at war with the Gerudo and had eventually attacked the desert to end the conflict. “I hope you’re not blaming me for something that happened hundreds of years ago.”

This was apparently the wrong thing to say. Ganondorf lurched forwards, and suddenly his nose was barely an inch from hers. Zelda squeaked and jumped backwards as his golden eyes turned molten with fury. “And you think you’re not responsible?” He hissed, anger and loathing mixed in his tone.

She hastened to say something, utterly confused. “But… I’m not…. I wasn’t there.”

The words did something to him. Confusion washed over his eyes, then he pulled back and looked up at the stars for a moment.

“Of course you weren’t.” He said shortly and stiffly. “My… apologies, Tetra. It’s a touchy subject, and I overreacted.”

Zelda stared at his profile, and in that moment she felt he carried a great weight on his shoulders, though what she couldn’t tell. His behaviour confused her. Why did he think she had anything to do with it? Did he expect it of all Hylian’s? “It’s all right.” She said quietly. “You don’t have to apologise. I don’t know what it’s like to have such tragedy in my history, but I imagine it’s quite painful, and I’m sorry for it.”

Ganondorf stared at Zelda as she was illuminated in the moonlight. So not only did she not know who _he_ was, _she_ had no idea about the role she herself had played – in a past life – in the near destruction of his people. He narrowed his eyes, trying to stifle the anger coursing through him. Her apology soothed the sting a little, but not completely; though it was the first time he’d ever heard an apology for those times from Hylian lips, in any of his lives, it wouldn’t count unless she knew who he was.

“Thank you.” He frowned at her. “That’s the only apology we’ve ever gotten.”

She looked very uncomfortable. “Are you sure? Hyrule and the Gerudo are not at war now, and we have a history of making peace wherever we go.”

Ganondorf had to count to ten before he trusted himself to speak calmly. “Let me tell you something, Tetra.” He growled. “Hyrule likes to project an image of peace and prosperity, a veritable perfect _utopia_. For those unlucky enough to live outside the bubble, Hyrule is cruel and vengeful, manipulative and bloodthirsty towards them. My people have suffered _greatly_ at the hands of yours.”

 _And you will get your comeuppance one day_ , he thought to himself.

Zelda’s eyes were wide in the moonlight. “I – I wish there was something I could say.” She said, looking at the sand.

“You’ve said enough.” Ganondorf said gruffly. He picked up a rock to avoid looking at her, twisting it between his fingers. A soft touch to his hand made him look back at her; Zelda was smiling softly.

“You’re right; mere words won’t change the past. How about we eat and go to bed?” She suggested. “You said we’d be off early.”

Nodding, Ganondorf hauled his supplies closer, and began doling out food. Without wood for a fire, they didn’t get any hot food, so instead they ate dried beef with bread, and washed it down with water from the spring. While Zelda was perched on the edge of the spring washing her face, he laid out the bedrolls and lay down on his, watching the stars. After a few minutes, the princess lay down on hers, and they lay in silence for a minute. Finally, she spoke in a faint whisper.

“Goodnight, Ganondorf.”

Ganondorf grinned at the sky. “Goodnight, Tetra.”

He didn’t fall asleep straight away, just lay there and watched the stars. After roughly an hour, he sensed motion besides him as Zelda sat up and wrapped herself in her cloak. He distinctly heard the sound of her rubbing her hands together for friction. _She’s cold_ , he thought to himself in glee. He was used to the cool desert nights, but Zelda wasn’t, apparently. After a few seconds, Ganondorf’s smirk widened as she pushed her bedroll closer to his, inching so close he could feel her breath against his arm. He knew what she was doing, of course; she was searching for warmth, and the nearest source of that was the heat of his body.

Moving fast like a striking serpent, he rolled over suddenly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. Zelda squeaked in alarm, flailed a bit and tensed, her eyes wide and shocked in the moonlight.

“If you were cold you could have just said so.” He murmured, thoroughly amused as her cheeks flamed red.

“I – um…” She stuttered.

Ganondorf snickered and pulled her closer. She was so stiff he thought she’d snap right in half. “Relax. You are warmer now, no?”

Zelda sighed in defeat as her body softened. “Yes.” She admitted, pressing her cold fingers against his chest. “Thank you.”

“Mm.” He fell asleep surprisingly quickly after that.

* * *

 

Zelda awoke to find herself being squished. After a few seconds of confusion, she realised she was still tucked into Ganondorf’s chest, and he held her quite tightly in his sleep, a gentle snore ruffling her hair. _His_ hair was everywhere, resting over her face and obscuring her vision in a cloud of fluffy scarlet. She lay there for a moment, assessing the situation, hearing his heartbeat from where her cheek was pressed against his chest. She blushed at her proximity to such a chest, and she attempted to free herself, but he mumbled something in another language and pulled her closer. Zelda rolled her eyes and poked him in the shoulder.

“Ganondorf.”

No response.

_“Ganondorf.”_

He gave an irritable grumble.

 _“Ganondorf!”_ Zelda punctuated this with a slap to the shoulder.

He shot upright into a crouch, dropping her to the ground as he glared around, as though he thought he was under attack, before he blinked and focused, looking at her on the ground. A very smug grin spread over his features as he observed her lying there beneath him, and Zelda blushed, pushing herself upright and fiddling with her hair to avoid looking at him.

Ganondorf stood up then, still smirking, and began to roll up his bedroll. “Good morning Tetra.” He began conversationally. “How was your night?”

She blushed harder as she began to roll up her own bedding. “It was… fine.” She said quietly, refusing to look at him.

He snickered, and that only made her feel more embarrassed as she stood up. All of a sudden, Ganondorf wrapped an arm about her waist and pulled her into him. Her nose bounced off his chest, and she was suddenly very, _very_ aware of all the warm bare flesh on display.   
“Just fine?” He asked with a raised brow. That infuriating grin was back, and Zelda realised he thought she found him attractive; worse than that, he fully expected her to. It rankled, then, that she _did_.

“ _Yes_.” She said firmly, stepping back out of his grip. Ganondorf only grinned wider and she turned away, determined to ignore him.

Breakfast was spent with Zelda refusing to do so much as glance at the Gerudo man, preferring to watch the horizon as the sun rose a little higher. Dawn was absolutely stunning in the desert, and she could have stared at it forever, but all too soon it was time to depart. She was attempting to put it off for as long as possible, for she now found herself being extremely embarrassed by just looking at the man. It was ridiculous, she knew, but she couldn’t help herself. He _was_ very attractive, they had spent the night in _very_ close proximity, and… he was teasing her. Zelda wrinkled her nose, told herself to stiffen up, and turned to face him.

“So.” She began. “Where are we going today?”

Ganondorf smirked at her before he replied. “We are heading west.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “How very informative you are this morning.”

He merely laughed. “How’s the ankle?”

“How do you think?”

“Oooo.” He said, sounding quite delighted. “Someone’s grumpy.”

“I wonder why.” She said sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips.

“Aw, don’t be like that Tetra.” He said with a grin, advancing towards her. “You know what I think? I think you’re blushing becau-”

“ _Do not_ finish that sentence.” She interrupted, glaring.

Ganondorf smirked wider, showing his fangs. “I’ll get it out of you soon enough.”

She rolled her eyes as he stooped to pick up his pack. “You seem very sure of yourself.”

Ganondorf froze, then straightened up very slowly, provocation gleaming in his golden eyes. _Uh oh_. “Is that a _challenge?”_ He asked, moving to stand before her as he threw his cloak on and slung his pack over his shoulders.

Zelda looked angrily at her toes. “ _No_.”

He sounded amused. “Suuure it isn’t.” With that he scooped her into his arms. “Time to go.”

Folding her arms over her chest, Zelda refused to look at him, or even realise how much bare chest she was in contact with, but it was really quite difficult an endeavour. After roughly an hour, Ganondorf tensed suddenly, and stopped walking.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Quiet.” He snapped, raking his gaze over the dunes in front of them. He set her on her feet and pulled his sword and dagger free. Zelda stared worriedly around as she wobbled on one leg; what was out there? She couldn’t run like this. Swallowing hard, she pulled her own dagger free, feeling a touch better with the blade in her hand, and yet… with her ankle broken, she couldn’t really defend herself. She was entirely dependant on Ganondorf.

There was something of a strange slithering noise, like shifting sand. Ganondorf whirled around her then, placing himself in front of her, facing the north. At that moment, the sand before them exploded, a massive centipede-like insect monster erupting out of the dune. Zelda promptly toppled over backwards, sliding backwards with her hands. Ganondorf threw himself forwards, engaging the monster and leading it away from her. Zelda watched, eyes huge as the thing skittered forwards on many legs, making a disturbing chittering noise as it ran. When the Gerudo man determined himself to be a safe distance away, he turned and stood his ground, facing the enormous centipede bearing down on him. The thing lunged forwards, and Ganondorf ducked and rolled, dodging the clacking pincers. His blade sliced through one of the thing’s legs, and it screeched in rage and agony, rearing upwards before crashing back down again. The centipede was incensed, and lunged and struck with increasing speed, until Ganondorf was barely dodging each strike.

She had to do something. Focusing hard, Zelda opened her mouth and sang a quick string of notes, causing bright flashes of colour to sparkle and pop along the length of the creature, focusing around its head. The centipede recoiled, screeching, and Ganondorf swiftly took the opportunity to jump onto its back, holding onto the armoured shell behind its head as it reared back into the air. Zelda watched as Ganondorf plunged his blade into the fleshly space behind the centipede’s head, almost severing it from its body. With a terrible gurgle, the monster died, and both man and beast came crashing down to earth.

Zelda skidded down the side of the dune on one foot, attempting to get down without hurting her ankle further. She could see movement in the middle of the giant carcass, and released her breath in a rush as she saw Ganondorf stand up and climb over the dead thing. He came to meet her, sliding an arm around her waist as he grinned crazily.

“Are you all right?” She asked anxiously.

Ganondorf looked affronted. “Of course I am. You think a measly Geldarm could best _me?”_

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Do you not have one ounce of concern for yourself?”

He shrugged. “It’s not my destiny to be killed by one of these.”

She stepped backwards slightly. “What did you call it? A Geldarm?”

He nodded. “Yes, a Geldarm. They are common and annoying.” Then, he frowned. “What was that light? Was that you?”

“Yes – I thought you might need some help.”

Ganondorf looked incredulous. “You though _I_ would need help? _Me?_ ”  
Zelda frowned. “You’re not infallible – and besides, I did help. I distracted the creature.”

He did not look impressed. “Be that as it may, I had things under control, and I-”

“You have a cut on your arm.” She interrupted.

Looking quite put out, he inspected the cut on his bicep. “I’ll live. A scratch isn’t going to kill me.”

Zelda raised a brow. “It could get infected.” She pointed out. “It’s quite deep.”

The Gerudo male frowned at the cut again. “Well, there’s not much I can do about it at the moment.” He said.

“Maybe not, but I can.” Zelda moved forwards, holding her hand over the cut. “Let me bind it?”

Looking curious, he nodded, and knelt on the dune, opening his pack and pulling out another bandage and a small tin of healing salve. Zelda moved forwards, acutely conscious of the look on his face as he watched her mop up the blood and apply the salve. He didn’t wince when she smeared it over his wound, though she knew it would have stung. His brows drew together as he watched her begin to bandage his arm as if in confusion, but she ignored him as best she could until the job was done.

“There.” She said, pulling back. “All better.”

Ganondorf was still frowning as if she were a puzzle he couldn’t figure out, and Zelda felt her own smile fade. “Is something wrong?” She asked.

He still looked suspicious, but shook his head. “No, it’s fine.”

Ganondorf stood and held out a hand, helping her to her feet, then picked her up again. He was strangely quite now, and Zelda sat uncomfortably in his arms, wondering exactly what she’d done wrong.

After another hour or so of walking, during which time they entered a forest of jagged stone, she asked him how far they had to go.

Ganondorf chuckled slightly. “We’re almost there. We’ve got about thirty metres to go.”

Zelda looked around, then back up at the Gerudo male. “And… you’re sure about that?” She asked doubtfully. There was nothing, just sand and the jagged rock casting shadows over them.

He smirked. “I’m sure.” He nodded towards a particularly large stone outcropping. “Do you see there?”

A few seconds passed while Zelda squinted at the stone. It was exactly that; a stone. “I don’t…?” She replied, confused.

She was even more confused when he set her down on the sand in the shadows and kept walking, pressing his hands to the rock. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a sigil suddenly bloomed scarlet against the yellowed rock, fading to nothing as a doorway melted out of nowhere.

Ganondorf picked her up again, looking very pleased at the look on her face.

“What is this?” She asked in amazement as they passed into what appeared to be a tunnel.

“Well.” He began, smirking at her shock. “It _is_ a desert. You mightn’t have noticed, but crossing it can become hot and tedious and dangerous, if you don’t have enough supplies. So, centuries ago, ancient Gerudo constructed these tunnels as a way to traverse our territory easily.”

Zelda looked up at the ceiling, where glowing stones were embedded there, lighting the way. She leaned out and brushed her fingertips over the cool stone wall. “Amazing.” She whispered. “I’m not sure what I imagined of the Gerudo, but it certainly wasn’t this.”

The Gerudo King chuckled again. “What did you expect of us?”

“Um…” She looked up at him, blushing slightly. “I don’t want to offend you…”

That made him stiffen, and his next words were tinted with anger. “Of course not.” He growled.

Zelda hastened to reassure him. “Oh, Ganondorf… please don’t take it the wrong way, it’s just… oh, I don’t know. I suppose you could say the information we have is rather… outdated?”

Ganondorf relaxed, but only slightly. “That’s what you call it?”

She attempted to defend herself. “Well, it’s true. I think. I’ve been told that no Hylian has ventured into the desert in a few centuries.”

“That is true.” He allowed. “Congratulations, Tetra. You’re the first Hylian to set foot on Gerudo soil in over three hundred years.”

Zelda smiled. “It’s an honour.”

That made him preen. “Thank you.”

The tunnel was quite long, and occasionally they passed doorways that led into more tunnels. It was very dark, and Ganondorf’s footsteps echoed.

“Do these tunnels actually cross the entire desert?” She asked, peering up at his face.

Ganondorf nodded. “They do.”

“Amazing. The engineering skills of the people who built them must have been great.” She attempted to make her voice as warm and sincere as possible, and it worked. Ganondorf looked very pleased.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

After a while, Zelda noticed that the floor was starting to incline ever so slightly. They’d been walking for hours now, both across the desert and through the tunnel; Ganondorf apparently had very good stamina.

“Are we going higher?” She asked with a slight frown.

“Yes.” Ganondorf shifted her in his arms. “We’re nearly there.”  
She wrinkled her nose. “How come we haven’t seen anyone else down here? I thought you said lots of people used the tunnels.”

“They do. Usually. To be honest, I’m not actually sure why there’s no one down here.”

“Hmm.”  
After a while, they arrived at the end of the tunnel; it was an open doorway covered with a loose piece of brightly coloured material. Zelda tensed, for beyond it she could hear a good amount of shouting and noise. Ganondorf was frowning, and then all of a sudden his face cleared.

“Ah!” He said. “ _Va_ _agazni_ – the festival - is on today. I forgot. That’s why the tunnels are empty.”

“Festival?”

“Yes, the festival to bring on the rains.” Ganondorf wore as easy smirk as he stood there. “It lasts for a week and we sing and dance and give offerings to the Goddess that she might bless us with rain.”

“It sounds fascinating.” She said, cocking an ear towards the music coming from outside.

“It is.” With that, Ganondorf shouldered his way through the fabric and into the sun. They were standing on a street filled with people. Zelda stared around in wonder, for she’d never seen anything like it.

Rather than separate houses, the streets were made of long connected buildings carved from that same sandy red stone. Flags and colourful pieces of fabric were draped over doorways and through windows, and large timber rafters spanned the gaps of the streets, providing spots of shade. The sun filtered through the canvas covering these rafters, creating the illusion of being inside a bright and sunny room. The streets were filled with Gerudo women, and for Zelda, as her first time ever seeing them, it was something out of a fairytale. Women who were far more scantily dressed than she had ever seen before danced and twirled in circles, chanting something in a foreign tongue. From all around, the beating of drums echoed, and those nearest to them turned to stare.

Zelda could feel herself blushing from the attention. Not all the Gerudo stared at her as Ganondorf carried her through the city, but those who did, did so with raised brows and rather judgmental, skeptical looks.

Ganondorf was thoroughly enjoying the attention. He was used to being looked at by his sisters wherever he went, of course, but what was making today fun was Zelda’s reaction. She looked incredibly embarrassed, her cheeks pink. In fact, a good deal of her was pink at all times, presumably from the sun, but it was still fun watching her blush.

“Why are you blushing? I should have thought a _noble_ -” he nearly said _royal_ here, but caught himself just in time. “-would be used to being watched. Don’t you go to court?” He was curious to see what she’d say.

To his surprise, she rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m used to attention, but this is very different to court.”

“How?”

“Well, for a start, when I’m at court I’m not usually being carried by-” Zelda turned an interesting shade of crimson and didn’t finish that sentence.

Ganondorf snickered and hauled her a little closer. “Oh? Carried by _what_ , exactly?”

She looked away, still bright red. “Um, where are we going?” She asked, clearly attempting to change the subject.

He snickered and tipped his head in the direction they were headed. “My quarters.”

Zelda jerked in his grip, her eyes wide. “ _What?”_ She hissed.

Rolling his eyes, Ganondorf smirked at her. “Don’t worry. It’s just until I find the Twinrova and work out what to do with you.”

She looked confused. “The Twinrova? What’s that?”

“ _They_ -” He emphasized. “-are our two most respected elders.”

“Oh.”

Having reached his chambers, Ganondorf set Zelda down on a chair, told her to stay put, and went in search of the Twinrova. He found them watching the dancers, and snuck up behind them.

“Why have you brought a Hylian here, Ganon?” Koume asked. The old witch didn’t even look over her shoulder.

He rolled his eyes. Of course they knew already. “Will you both come with me? I have things to ask of you.”

The Twinrova exchanged glances with each other, but stood. Ganondorf walked in silence through the streets with them following until they stood in the entrance to his chambers.

“So.” Said Kotake. “Not only have you brought a Hylian here, you’ve put her in your own chambers? What’s wrong with you?”

He attempted to defend himself. “It’s not that, its-”

“Why were you _carrying_ her?” Interrupted Koume.

He scowled at the diminutive witch. “That’s what I was trying to say. She’s got a broken ankle.”

“Since when do you care about foolish Hylian girls?”

“Since she is the Princess of Hyrule.” He snapped, folding his arms.

There was a brief silence while the Twinrova exchanged speculative glances. “…The Princess?” Mused Koume. “That’s interesting.” Finished Kotake.

Ganondorf pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen to me. She’s using a false name. Call her Tetra, and do not allude to her status.”

“Why?”

“She’s run away.” He admitted. “I saw her fall off a cliff and break her ankle, though she’s lucky that’s the extent of her injuries, and though she thinks I have no idea who she is, I figured if I brought her here, I can… question her.”

The Twinrova looked pleased. “She’s run away?” Cackled Kotake.

“Got an uneasy conscious at last, has she?” Added Koume.

He raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t think so. I told her my name, but she didn’t react – she doesn’t seem to know _who_ I am. I don’t think she knows anything about her past lives. Or mine.”

They looked confused. “Does she have the Triforce?” Asked Koume.

“Yes, but she doesn’t know that I know. From the little she’s told me, her parents have sheltered her. I don’t think they’ve let her learn about her past at all. She didn’t even flinch when I said my name – she seems entirely ignorant of anything to do with the Triforce, unless, of course, she turns out to be a fantastic actress. I wonder at her parent’s reasoning – they’ve undoubtedly done this to protect her from the legends, but what happens if I attempt to conquer Hyrule? She wouldn’t know what was happening, much less what to do.”

Kotake raised a brow. “How peculiar.”

Ganondorf paused and reflected. “I rather wish I’d known, actually. Hyrule would be easy to take when Wisdom is clueless.”

“But there is still Courage.” Koume cautioned. “You don’t know if he is as unaware as his Princess.”

“Indeed.” He motioned for them to enter. “Remember, her name is Tetra.”

The Twinrova both nodded and moved forwards, and Ganondorf took up the rear. Zelda’s eyes widened when she saw the Twinrova, and both witches preened at their impact on her.

“Well, Tetra, is it?” Began Koume in Hylian. “Welcome to the Gerudo Valley.”

Zelda managed a smile. “Thank you, um…?”

“Koume.” The elder motioned to her counterpart. “This is my sister, Kotake.”

The princess nodded, and Kotake moved forwards. “Ganon tells us you fell off a cliff.” She clucked in a surprisingly maternal fashion. “Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”

Zelda frowned. “I didn’t do it on _purpose_. I slipped.”

He had to bite back a laugh.

Koume continued the interrogation. “What province are you from?”

The princess hesitated for a moment. “I’m from… Eldin.”

 _Lying through her teeth._ Ganondorf spent a few moments imagining what her reaction would be if he told her he knew exactly who she was. He decided that he would – _but not yet_.

“Hmm.” Kotake eyed her critically. “We’ll give you a place to stay while your ankle heals; would you like a message sent to your family?”

“No.”

“No?”

Zelda looked uncomfortable. “I – don’t have any family.” She said, and Ganondorf smirked. She was constructing quite the web of lies here.

The Twinrova nodded at each other. “I see.” Said Koume carefully.

“We’ll have someone sent to escort you to a room; right now, we have to get back to the celebrations.” Said Kotake.

With that, both witches left the room.

Ganondorf sat down on the chair besides Zelda and grinned at her. “Well.” He said. “You’ve got the seal of approval, and now you’re an official guest of the Gerudo.”

Her smile was very genuine. “Thank you. Really.”


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda finds out Ganondorf is the bearer of Power... and goes to confront him.

Time passed, and before she knew it, Zelda had been in the Gerudo Valley for over two months. The majority of Gerudo treated her with civility, and she’d grown close with several of them; the ones who spoke Hylian, that is. They’d been teaching her to speak Gerudo, and she was getting fairly decent at it now, though she had issues understanding it sometimes. Ganondorf had also been teaching her in his spare time. As King, his duties took up good portions of his day, but he usually found time to appear and irritate her.

_Like now._

“Bored of our hospitality already, Tetra?”

Zelda set aside her book, glancing over to where Ganondorf leaned up against the doorframe. “I really don’t know where you get these ideas from. I’m only reading.”

“I know that our standard of living must not be agreeable to a noble Hylian such as yourself.”

She rolled her eyes. “And I know that _you_ come out with the most ridiculous statements.”

“ _Af bi randsu, kaf?”_ He spoke in Gerudo this time, and she took a few moments to run the words over in her mind, ensuring she had the meaning right before she replied. She was pretty sure he’d asked _what are you reading?_

 _“Ra.”_ _This_. She replied in the same language, showing him the spine of the book as he sat down next to her.

Ganondorf nodded, and promptly ignored the book _. “Fesbak har zhino, das bi?”_ He asked. _Do you like it here?_

Zelda frowned slightly. “ _Zhu éspro_.” _Of course._

He smirked like he didn’t believe her, and she sighed irritably.

“What do you mean by that?” She asked, reverting back to Hylian. “You don’t believe I could like the desert?”

A flash of something crossed his eyes, but she couldn’t what it was.

“I don’t particularly.”

“Why?” She asked, irritated. “Surely it’s not simply because I’m Hylian, is it?”

Anger tinted his gaze. “Hylians don’t like the desert dwellers. They never have and they never will.”

Zelda made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. “But why do you think it of _me?_ Because of what happened hundreds of years ago? That has no relevance to today _or_ me!”

She thought he was going to explode. His fists were clenched, his fangs bared, his eyes glowing golden with rage. “You think that, do you?”

Now angry herself, she leaned forwards. “ _Yes_. If you know differently, why don’t you explain yourself? Sometimes, you speak as though you were there, so don’t act as though _I’m_ the one with issues.”

Ganondorf shot to his feet, eyes crackling as he paced the room, raking a hand through his long hair. Suddenly, he was across the room in a shot, bracing himself on the arms of her chair, his intense gaze barely an inch from hers. Zelda braced herself, refusing to back down as he growled at her.

“I do know differently; what irks me is that _you don’t.”_

That confused her. “What do you mean? Why would I know differently? I’m a perfectly ordinary person, and I had _nothing to do with what happened_. It was three centuries ago! _How could I?_ ”

Ganondorf looked simply furious. “Of course you didn’t.” He muttered, making it somehow seem derogatory. Zelda stared at him in confusion. The things he said… sometimes, it rather sounded as though he wasn’t talking to Tetra. No, it rather sounded like he was talking to… Zelda. _Impossible_. He couldn’t know.

She leaned forwards, invading his personal space. “Either tell me what I’m missing or don’t, but _do not_ keep making these implications and accusations all the time if you’re not willing to explain what you mean by it!”

He shot upwards again, storming towards the door. Ganondorf paused for a moment. “Fine.” He snapped. “I won’t do it now, but I _will_ explain.” His gaze inexplicably turned sorrowful. “I think then you will regret it.”

Zelda stared at the fluttering cloth where Ganondorf had stood not two seconds ago. What did he mean, she’d _regret_ it? What a ridiculously hot-headed and puzzling man he was! She was tempted to follow him and make him explain, but that would almost certainly lead to a heated argument in the middle of the street. She didn’t particularly feel like making a fool out of herself today, so she stayed put, picking up her book again. How could he be so contrary? Zelda didn’t understand it. How could he flirt with her relentlessly one minute, and be so angry the next? For he _did_ flirt with her. Ganondorf knew exactly how to make her flustered, much to her annoyance, and he did so constantly. He enjoyed it, for heavens sake. _Ridiculous_.

Ganondorf stalked down the street, grumbling under his breath. How could she not know? It was infuriating. He remembered every interaction he’d had in their past lives, remembered the coldness of her face when she’d ordered her hero to kill him, when she’d order the Gerudo fortresses razed to the ground, when she’d mobilised her forces against his country. He’d thought that Zelda, _all_ the Zelda’s, were incapable of emotion, but this one was proving him wrong. She was kind, sympathetic, and seemed to genuinely enjoy the company of his sisters. At times, he suspected that she even enjoyed his company.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t watch where he was going, and as a result walked straight into a low hanging streamer. He swore and violently ripped it off himself, drawing the attention of quite a few of his sisters. He frowned viciously at them all as he stalked off. Reaching his quarters, he threw himself into a chair, thinking about Princess Zelda. He’d promised to tell her what he knew, and he fully intended to, but… when? To tell the truth, Ganondorf didn’t want to. What if she ‘saw reason’ when he did? What if she did go cold and unemotional, like she had in the past? Worse, what if she decided she hated him? What if she went back to Hyrule, learned their history, and became like the old Zelda’s? He growled under his breath. To be honest, he wasn’t sure why that last one bothered him so much. So what if she hated him? He hated her. _Do you really, though?_

Ganondorf swore. He did not like the sound of that voice in his head. So maybe he didn’t hate her entirely; that didn’t mean a thing. Zelda was still Hylian, and he still didn’t trust her.

 

* * *

 

Zelda was at the bathing pools with her friend Tovusa. She liked Tovusa, for not only did she speak rudimentary Hylian, but she was curious about Hyrule, and so they passed many hours together, talking and exploring. Tovusa took great pride in showing her about the fortress, almost as much pride as Ganondorf had, if that were possible.

“Ugh, the water’s so nice today.” Mumbled Zelda. The heat in the valley was completely insane; after two months though, she was getting used to it, though she rather suspected she was melting at every second of the day. Her favourite thing here was taking an hour or two to soak in the blissfully cool springs when she had free time.

“Isn’t it?” Tovusa replied, floating on her back. “Tell me about Hyrule.” She said suddenly. She was always doing this, demanding long-winded explanations about the things, the people, the creatures of Hyrule.

“What do you want to know about?”

“Tell me about your music.”

Nodding slightly, Zelda began. She talked for a while, describing popular music and humming a few tunes.

When she was finished, Tovusa opened one eye. “Have you seen Ganondorf recently?”

Zelda looked at her hands. “No. Not for a few days. Why?” This was true. She hadn’t seen him since they’d argued, and that was days ago. She had too much pride to seek him out.

“No reason, I guess. I saw him yesterday and he was in a very bad mood.”  
“Oh. I wonder why?”

“No idea.” There was a small pause. “Hey, do you want to come to dinner with me tonight?”

Zelda grinned. “Sure!”

Tovusa snickered. “Be warned; my mother will attempt to drown you in food.”

She giggled. “I like your mother.”

“She likes you too.”

Later that night, Zelda arrived on Tovusa’s doorstep ready to enjoy her mothers’ excellent cooking. Tovusa’s mother, Hemore, was a kind woman, and she made her feel very welcome.

Tovusa’s partner and blood sister were there too, and it made for an excellent night. Zelda was in a great mood when she departed several hours later, full of good food and wine, heading towards her rooms, when Koume stepped from a shadowy doorway, making her jump out of her skin.

“Tetra. Do you have a moment?”

Zelda nodded and followed the old witch into her quarters. Koume lead her into a room filled with shelves upon shelves of herbs, stones, and potions lining the wall, large patterned rugs on the floor, a large pot bubbling on the bright hearth fire.

“Sit, my dear.” She invited, sitting down herself on the rug. Zelda sat, and a second later Kotake bustled into the room, sitting next to her sister.

They all smiled at each other, before Kotake spoke. “How are you, Tetra?”

Zelda shrugged one shoulder. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“How’s the ankle? You walk well enough on it now?”

Looking at the ankle in question, Zelda nodded. “Yes, it’s fine now. It healed well.”

“Good, good.” The witch paused. “My dear, we have something to tell you.”

“Oh?”

Kotake looked solemn. “We know who you are, Princess.”

Zelda froze, her mouth half open. “Wha-?”

The witches chuckled.

“We know you are Princess Zelda.” Continued Koume. “Though we don’t know why you’ve left Hyrule, or why you’re using a false name.”

She tried to get her mouth to work. “Uh, I…”

“Come now, dear, don’t deny it. You are the bearer of Wisdom.”

She sighed in resignation. “I am.” She admitted.

They nodded in satisfaction. “Hmm.” Said Koume.

“What we have to tell you relates to Ganondorf.” Said Kotake.

“Ganondorf?” What does he have to do with anything?”

Kotake raised a sceptical brow. “You don’t remember, do you? We thought as much; no Zelda who knew her past life would voluntarily spend time here.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because you couldn’t. You’d hate us.”

Zelda frowned. “Why would I hate you? Ganondorf keeps mentioning something that happened three hundred years ago, but I don’t understand how that could have any relevance to me.”

Koume looked sympathetic. “You will.”

“It has relevance because he’s right.” Said Kotake. “We are four hundred years of age, and we were there when Princess Zelda ordered her armies to slaughter our people.”

Zelda’s mouth dropped open.

“Her hero led the charge, and engaged into combat our King: Ganondorf Dragmire.”

“Wha – _what?”_

“Tragically, Ganon was defeated in that lifetime, and we were nearly lost.”

She finally got her words to work. “Lifetimes? Are you saying…?”

“Ganondorf is the bearer of Power, child.”

She didn’t say anything, just stared and tried to process the words. Ganondorf was the bearer of Power? That would explain… everything. A shiver ran over her skin. No wonder he hated her.

“He… remembers it all?” Her voice was small.

“He does. That’s why he’s confused and angry that you don’t.”

“Oh.”

“He’ll be furious we told you, of course.” Kotake didn’t seem overly concerned.

Curiosity took over. “Why did you tell me?”

“Because Ganon is annoying us, of course.” Said Koume matter-of-factly. “He’s been in a smell ever since you got here.”

“Why?”

“You’ve taken everything he knows and flipped it sideways. If you arrived to sic the hero onto him, there’d be no issues, but this? Walking amongst the Gerudo as though we are your friend? Treating him with kindness? He can’t make head nor tail of it.”

“But that’s…”

“Think of it from his perspective, girl. Ganon has millennia upon millennia of memories, and they _always_ involve you, and you _always_ attempt to have him killed. Sometimes you have succeeded, and sometimes he has killed you. He distrusts you more than anyone in the world, but now? He doesn’t know what to think.”

“That makes sense.” Zelda nodded. “What should I do then?”

“Talk to him. Let him know that you know, and…” Koume trailed off. “What will you do?”

Kotake picked up the sentence. “Do you… feel the need to end his life once more? He is young, only twenty two, and if you did decide to lead Hyrule against us, I’m not sure his pride could stand knowing that you got to him first. He typically does not invade Hyrule, if he does decide to, until his thirties at least. He likes to become experienced, you see.”

“What? I - no!” Zelda frowned. “I don’t… I mean, I need time to think.” She said decidedly.

Standing up, Zelda smiled slightly at the Twinrova. “Thank you for telling me.” With that, she left. The streets were mostly empty, the only sight being the occasional Gerudo wandering back to her home, and it gave Zelda plenty of time to think. She had had Ganondorf killed in her past lives? He was bearer of Power? No wonder he treated her so strangely. She recalled the look on the Twinrova’s faces. They had seemed… _worried_ … that she would… what? Attempt something? Go home to Hyrule and send the Hero to kill him? _That’s what he thinks will happen_ , she realised. _He doesn’t know what I will do._ Her feet decided for her, and before she knew it, Zelda was standing outside Ganondorf’s quarters, knocking on the doorframe.

Ganondorf looked up from his book as he heard a knock, and with an irritable sigh, he set it aside and stood up, wondering who was coming to visit him at such a late hour. Sweeping back the curtain, he was stunned to see Zelda standing there. Instinctively, he twitched his hand behind his back, hiding his Triforce from her.

“Tetra.” He said, not bothering to conceal his surprise. “What are you…?”

“Can I come in?” She asked.

“Yes.” He was still confused. Why on earth was she here? Surely – his ego began to awaken, and Ganondorf couldn’t help his slow smirk. Was this…?

“Well?” He asked, following her into the sitting room. “To what do I owe this very late pleasure?”

Zelda flushed and looked down. “I just finished speaking with the Twinrova.” She said, and he was instantly on his guard. What had they told her?

To his surprise, Zelda moved towards him, a determined look in her eye. He frowned down at her as she got closer and closer, and then her right hand shot out and grabbed his. Her _bare_ right hand. Instantly, a faint golden glow emanated from their joined hands, and from the look on her face, Ganondorf knew she could feel the resonance from the contact of their Triforce’s.

“So it’s true.” She breathed, her face unreadable. “You _are_ the bearer of Power.” Her head tilted as she listened to the resonance of their skin, watching as the marks glowed brightly in the darkened room.

He jerked his hand away. “What did they say?” He snapped.

Zelda turned away. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked dully. “I didn’t know who you were, but I would have if I’d known about your Triforce.”

He glared. “Why didn’t _you_ tell _me_?” He snapped. “You are Princess Zelda! You didn’t think that was something I’d be interested to know?”

She bristled. “I didn’t know who you were. Why would it have been necessary to give you my identity?” She narrowed her eyes, went to say something else, then changed her mind midstride. “How did you know that I’m Zelda?”

Ganondorf snorted. “As if I wouldn’t know. I knew the instant I saw you! Did you really think I wouldn’t recognise my mortal enemy on sight?”

Zelda’s mouth dropped open, and to his surprise, she looked more sad than angry. “Mortal enemy?” She asked quietly. “Is that really what you think of me?”

He rolled his eyes. “How could I not? For hundreds of years you’ve-”

“ _No_. Not my past lives. _Me_.” Her eyes glimmered. “Do you think that of _me?”_

Ganondorf stared at Zelda for a moment, thinking hard. “Well… I suppose… you don’t act like you used to…” He hardened himself. “Or you haven’t yet.”

She looked angry. “What’s that supposed to mean? Do you think that I’d do something? After all your hospitality? How dare you.”

He glowered. “How dare I? Yes, how _dare_ I be suspicious of the woman who has been the cause of my death for hundreds of years.” Ganondorf hissed the words in her face, feeling conflicted when she looked shocked.

“Look. I didn’t come here to argue.” She said quietly. Zelda smiled sadly. “Just… will you let me explain?”

She bit her lip and continued.

“The Twinrova - they explained. _Everything_. I understand why you don’t like me now.” She turned back to him as he stood there, dumbfounded. “I mean, I don’t know… exactly what I did to you in my past lives, but I wanted to assure you that…”

He moved closer with a growl. “That _what?”_

“That it won’t happen again.” She whispered.

It was like something had imploded deep in his chest. He stood there and watched her, looking for the deceit in her eyes, looking for the evidence that she was lying – because _she had to be_. A plot. This was a plot.

“You’re lying.” He hissed. Zelda’s eyes widened as he stepped forwards, tilting her chin up so he could see her clearly.

“I’m not.” She said.

Strangely enough, she didn’t seem to be. He was well versed in the art of body language, and all the signs pointed to her telling the truth. Still, he was reluctant to let his guard down.

“How could you be telling the truth?” He asked, a little desperately. His entire worldview was in the process of being shattered - if Zelda didn’t despise him, if she didn’t mean to kill him, _what was he going to do?_

Her fingers came up to rest lightly on his arms. “I _am_ telling the truth.” She whispered, equally as desperate. “I don’t know why in the past I resorted to such violence against you, but… if you’d let me now, I’d like to wipe the slate clean. I’d like for Hyrule and the Gerudo to be… friends, allies, whatever you want to call it.”

Ganondorf stared at her; for once, he was lost for words. “Are you serious?” He asked.

She nodded firmly. “I am.”

A thought occurred to him. “How exactly do you propose to do this? If you return to Hyrule you’ll be packed off to Labrynna.”

Zelda’s mouth dropped open, and she looked stunned. “I cannot believe I didn’t think of that.” She said slowly.

He chuckled and let her go, moving to sit down in a chair. The princess sat down in the one across from him, looking puzzled and dismayed.

“What am I going to do?” She asked.

“You could stay here.” Ganondorf said impulsively, then stiffened. What would she say to that?

A very genuine smile spread across her face. “You have no idea how much that tempts me.” She said softly.

His gaze dropped to her mouth. All of a sudden, the air had changed, becoming deeper, darker, electric. He felt… _uncomfortable_ , but in a good way.

“So you genuinely like the Gerudo?” He was changing the subject, but Ganondorf _was_ curious; how could this have happened? How could there be a Zelda who was disposed to like his people?

Zelda’s smile was warm and lit up her eyes. It was becoming harder to doubt her. “Of course! You’ve all been nothing but perfectly lovely to me.” She grinned wider. “Not to mention, you rather saved my bacon.”

“If only you’d been so accepting in your past lives.” He said, unable to keep the flatness from his voice. Her smile faded, and she stood up, moving to sit in the chair directly besides him.

“I’m… I’m really sorry.” Zelda began, her eyes huge and sincere. “I know it won’t do anything – it doesn’t mean anything, but I’m sorry, truly-”

Ganondorf leaned in, covering her mouth with his hand. “You think it doesn’t mean anything?” He demanded. They were very close now. “An apology – from Hyrule – from _you_ – it means _everything_.”

He was so close he could feel her breath against his skin, could see the tiny crystal tears poised on her lashes. Her hand gripped his, and their Triforce’s sang.

“Then I am truly sorry.” She whispered, and then she closed the gap between them.

She kissed him lightly, the merest brush of her lips over his. Ganondorf froze for a split second before he responded, a groan in the back of his throat. Cupping her face in his hand, he kissed her soundly, urging her to open to him. Zelda made a small noise as she did so, and he felt an intense surge of emotion as his tongue danced with hers. Her arms twined around his neck, and somehow, she was up on her knees in her chair and his arm was around her waist and he was pulling her into his lap. Somehow, she ended up astride him, all that distracting warmth soaking through his skin as his hands roamed over her body.

When her hips rocked against his it was like he’d been set aflame, and when she bit his lower lip with a moan in the back of her throat he suspected he might just die on the spot. Zelda pulled back then, her cheeks flushed, lips parted as she panted softly.

“Wow.” She whispered, then blushed. Didn’t _that_ boost his ego?

Ganondorf snickered slightly, letting his hands play over her waist. It was quite hard to concentrate with the warmth of the junction of her thighs pressed directly over his cock. In fact, it was _very_ distracting. “You do surprise me, Zelda. Princesses aren’t supposed to know how to kiss like that.”

Zelda looked embarrassed, and her gaze fell from his. “Oh.” She said, biting her lip. “I – I didn’t-”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s not a _bad_ thing.” Leaning forwards, he kissed her again, unable to help his smirk as she responded enthusiastically, leaning into his embrace. When they finally broke apart, Ganondorf wanted nothing more than to find out what lay beneath her clothes, but he held off. He didn’t know if she wanted to go that far, though he _was_ interested in finding out if she did. Later. He would wait until later.

Zelda laughed softly, and suddenly, he couldn’t doubt her anymore. He had known the vast majorities of her past lives, and something they all had in common was the utter inability to fake emotion. Her enjoyment of this was real. It was a surprisingly satisfactory realisation.

Her fingers traced over his chest. “I think I should probably go.” She whispered, sounding reluctant.

He nodded. “If that’s what you want, Zelda.” He rather liked using her real name.

Unwilling to let her go just yet, Ganondorf stood up, keeping her heat firmly tucked against his crotch as he made his way to the door, her legs wrapped around his waist. Unable to help himself, he pressed her into the wall and rocked his hips into hers; the sound she made only made him smirk harder.

Zelda frowned at him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “Cocky bastard.” She muttered. That made him laugh, which made her frown more, which made him laugh harder, until she wrapped her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers, which effectively shut him up. Several long, lingering minutes later, Ganondorf pulled back, knowing that if she didn’t leave now he wouldn’t be able to let her go until he’d buried himself deep inside her wet heat. As it was his cock was so hard it hurt.

He let Zelda down to her feet, and she smiled up at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” She asked, and he nodded.

“Of course.” He captured her hand and lightly brushed his lips over her Triforce, and winked. Zelda giggled slightly, then left. He waited until she was out of sight, and then his hand dropped to his crotch and he let out a groan. _Va Éshi, pi_ , she was one tempting little morsel. Walking swiftly, he dropped onto his bed and raked a hand through his hair. Ripping off his clothes, Ganondorf lowered a hand to his cock, biting his lip as his hand wrapped firmly around the base of his shaft and began to stroke. He pictured Zelda’s pretty mouth wrapped around his cock as he did so, imagining the look in her eyes, the way her hand would stroke him…. His breath came faster and his hips arched off the bed slightly into his grip as in his head Zelda took him deeply into her mouth. Ganondorf’s heart pounded as with a loud groan, he climaxed, lying there for long moments as bliss washed over him.

Sitting up, he headed towards his washbasin, cleaning the evidence of his release from his stomach with a damp cloth. Now that his rational thought had returned, Ganondorf was feeling very, _very_ pleased with tonights developments. Zelda had apologised, readily and freely, for her past atrocities. No amount of apologies would ever make up for what had happened to his people, but he still appreciated it greatly. A slow grin spread across his face at the memory of her kiss. So she did find him attractive. He knew, of course, that she would. _Who wouldn’t?_ He was just surprised she’d acted on it.

* * *

 

The longer Zelda spent in the Gerudo Valley; the more and more she liked it. She spent time with the elders, who told her the histories and legends of the Gerudo. She spent time with the fighting women and trained with them; they were all very intrigued with Hylian fencing, and she’d been teaching a few of them the basics. She spent time learning to cook common Gerudo dishes, which, considering that she’d never so much as boiled water before, was quite the learning curve. She spent time with the children, playing their games and telling them stories, and she spent time on stage at the meeting place, having been invited to tell them all tales of Hyrule.

What she was especially fond of, however, was Ganondorf. Since their first kiss, he seemed to take it for granted that she would find him attractive, which was infuriating, and so he took every opportunity he could to touch her… which was quite nice, actually. He was forever pulling her into a shadowy doorway, kissing her long enough to get her heart racing, then leaving with a smirk. That smirk was so impossibly aggravating, she thought she might die sometimes. Although she had found a way to make him stop; the only problem was, when she pulled away, he only started again.

 _Like now._ His shoulders were shaking with silent laughter as he ran his lips over her throat. In the past few weeks Ganondorf had developed a habit of coming to her rooms late at night, where they frequently ended up in bed. To her increasing dismay, however, he wouldn’t take it any further than that, preferring to simply kiss and touch her in ways that were chaste and yet not chaste until she thought she’d lose her mind.

“Why do you look so angry?” He asked, dipping into the hollow of her throat with his tongue.

“That smirk.” She mumbled, wrinkling her nose as her admission only made it wider.

“Oh?” He asked. Though they were still mostly clothed (rather unfortunately, she thought), Ganondorf was settled between her legs, a firm bulge pressed firmly against her sweet spot, and with each rock of his hips her body temperature increased until she thought she’d spontaneously combust.

“Yes.” Zelda frowned at him. “You look so smug all the time.” She complained. “It’s infuriating.”

He only laughed softly and scored his fangs down her throat, which made the feelings bubbling in the pit of her stomach heighten. “Ganondorf…” She moaned lightly, liking his intake of breath when his name on her lips hit his ears. “Why don’t you touch me?”

He pulled back slightly to look at her, that cocky grin fading. His eyes were dark, desire glinting in the molten gold depths. “I am touching you.” He ran a finger across her collarbone as if to prove it.

Zelda shook her head. “No, why don’t you touch me… more?” Rejection washed over her, and she turned away from him, trying to avoid the hurt. “Don’t… don’t you want me?”

Instantly Ganondorf grabbed her chin, pulling her gaze to his. “Do I _want_ you?” He growled, and then he kissed her roughly, urgently. His hands roamed over her body, setting her on fire through her clothes. When his hands closed over her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard, aching peaks, she whimpered and bucked against him, which made him groan. Ganondorf rocked his hips firmly into hers, grinding against her until she cried out beneath him.

He lifted his head. “You’re killing me, Zelda.”

She attempted to pull his shoulders down so she could kiss him again. “So touch me.”

Ganondorf dipped his head, brushing his lips over hers. “Not yet.” Her murmured.

Zelda felt a surge of frustration. “Why not?”

He made a noise in the back of his throat. “ _Va Éshi, pi_. You are not making this easy for me.” He growled.

She grinned and rocked her hips up into his. “Good.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, looking vaguely pained, and she lifted her chin, feeling quite devious as she swiftly pulled her top over her head. Sensing her movement, Ganondorf opened his eyes as he began to say something, but trailed off at the sight of her bare breasts.

He swallowed hard, and with visible effort, dragged his gaze to hers. “Zelda.” He said, voice hushed. “Are you sure…?”

“Yes.” She said firmly. “Just… _please_.”

With a groan, he kissed her again, then trailed his mouth down her jaw. The closer he got to her breasts, the shorter her breath became, until she was practically panting from anticipation. When his warm mouth finally closed around her nipple Zelda thought she would die on the spot. Her fingers worked their way into his hair, holding him to her as his hand kneaded her other breast. Ganondorf switched to her other nipple then, and only stopped when both damp peaks shivered beneath his touch, and she practically writhed beneath him.

Then, inexplicably, he pulled back. Zelda attempted to pull him back down, but he shook his head.

“Not yet.” He said firmly.

She let her hands fall back to the bedding with a sigh. “I can’t make you change your mind?” She asked hopefully.

That smug grin was back as his gaze wandered back down to her breasts. “Unfortunately not.”

Zelda could sense the night was at an end; he was disengaging as he did most nights, pulling back so he could leave.

“Don’t go.” She breathed, wrapping her legs firmly around his waist.

Ganondorf closed his eyes. “Temptress.”

She laid a hand on his cheek. “Stay with me. Even if its just sleeping… stay?”

He kissed her knuckles, then rolled onto his side, gathering her to his chest. “How could I resist?”

She rolled her eyes. “Perfectly well, from the looks of things.”

A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Ah, you have no idea how hard it is to stop.”

Zelda grinned up at him and ran her hand down his bare chest. “So don’t.”

“I knew you’d say that.”


	4. Accusations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyrule accuses the Gerudo of having abducted Princess Zelda, and the wheels of war are set in motion.

When Ganondorf woke up, it was to find himself staring at unfamiliar ceiling. For a moment, he was confused, until movement against his chest alerted him to the fact that he was not alone. Zelda was still asleep, curled into him, and she was still topless. He grinned as he let his gaze roam over her form. As he usually found himself doing come morning, he bitterly regretted not sleeping with her when he had the chance, but no. This resolution was only made a million times harder by the fact she so clearly wanted him to touch her – for a blissful moment, images danced through his head, of Zelda lying nude beneath him, lying skin-to-skin… _No. Not yet._ He steeled his resolve and slipped out of the bed, stretching as he did so.

Turning back to the bed, Ganondorf realised he’d accidentally woken Zelda up. She was sitting up, blinking blearily and much to his dismay, she’d pulled a blanket up to cover her bare breasts.

“Good morning.” She mumbled with a sleepy smile.

“Good morning.” He replied. “Sleep well?”

She grinned. “It was alright.” Her smile grew, and she arched a brow. “Though it could have been better.”

Ganondorf rolled his eyes and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her in for a brief kiss, before he stood up again. He had to leave before he got spotted. While he didn’t think any of the Gerudo would seriously object if they thought he was sleeping with Tetra, they did like to gossip, which was something he’d rather not be subjected to right at this moment.

Therefore, when he attempted to leave, he skulked in the shade of the curtain of her door until the coast was clear, then slipped silently out, his good mood leaving him feeling oddly buoyant. When he arrived back at his quarters, he found a whole crowd of people waiting for him at the door.

When they saw him, he was instantly surrounded, the babble of their voices echoing as they all tried to talk at once. Ganondorf held up a hand for silence, feeling worried. Something was wrong.

“One at a time.” He said, pointing at the first woman in front of him. “What’s the matter?”

“Hyrule has threatened us with war!”

Ganondorf blinked for a moment. “ _What?”_ He snapped.

“You need to get to the meeting place.” Said another woman, elbowing her way to the front of the crowd. “The Hylian ambassador is there, and soldiers too!”

Without another word, he briskly set off for the meeting place, surrounded by Gerudo. The meeting place, when he got there, was in chaos, with several Hylian men standing on the platform, one of them in a less than flattering wig proclaiming something in a pompous voice. Unsurprisingly, the Gerudo were less than impressed, a good deal of them informing the man exactly where he could stick his stuffy looking wig, with quite a few creative suggestions. Most Gerudo couldn’t speak Hylian, and to have a Hylian suddenly appear in their own city and speak gibberish at them was making them angry. Ganondorf pushed through the Gerudo, climbing onto the stage, prompting a hush to fall over the crowd.

The formerly belligerent Hylian shrank a little as Ganondorf drew himself up to his full height, which, besides the small bewigged man and the slender soldiers, was quite a marked difference. Ganondorf affixed a scowl to his face and folded his arms.

“May I ask what exactly is going on here?” He asked in Hylian with a growl. “You do not have permission to be on Gerudo land.”

The man in the wig stared slack jawed for a moment, before he pulled himself together. “Er – may I ask who you are?” His tone was disdainful.

“Ganondorf Dragmire. King of the Gerudo.” He replied in an equally disdainful tone. “Who are _you?”_

The bewigged man swallowed, looking as if this title was unwelcome news. “I am Minster Cabo, Ambassador and representative of his Majesty, King Jonotan of Hyrule.”

Ganondorf nodded slightly, unimpressed. “What is your purpose here?”

Cabo looked a little nervous as he unfurled the scroll he’d been holding. His round face was red and he was sweating in the long Hylian robes he wore. The soldiers around him looked equally warm in their armour. Ganondorf wondered idly how they’d even gotten to the fortress – they must have a procession of carriages, at least – these fat and soft men were not suited to crossing the desert on foot. He supposed they’d used a very old map to guide them – what a pity it was that Hyrule still had access to that information. A treacherous journey – he wished they’d been eaten by the dune dwelling monsters instead.

The man cleared his throat in a particularly condescending way. Ganondorf felt rather like pushing him off the stage just to see what he would do.

“This is a Royal proclamation of the noble house of Hyrule, made by his Royal Majesty King Jonotan, third of his name...” Cabo began pompously.

The first half of the proclamation was typical Hylian blather, and he found himself growing bored, raising his brow in an attempt to show his irritation, but that went unnoticed. Finally, he interrupted.

“Is there a point to this?” He asked, frowning. One of the women had mentioned war. _Was this…?_

“A point? Yes, there’s a point.” Sniffed Cabo. “I’ll cut to the chase, if you prefer.”

He hemmed again, before shaking out his scroll. Ganondorf rolled his eyes and shifted his weight, prompting amused muttering from the Gerudo at large, which joined the furious translating going on from those that spoke Hylian.

“You are aware of the fact that Princess Zelda has been missing these last four months?”

It was a very loaded question, and he had to be very careful when he answered.

“What does that have to do with anything?” He attempted to avoid answering; if they were here for war…. It might be dangerous to imply he knew of Zelda’s whereabouts.

The man coughed delicately. “King Jonotan would like to request that his daughter be returned to him.”

 _Silence_.

Ganondorf felt his lips twist into a sneer. “Are you accusing us of having abducted the Princess?”

There was a fair bit of angry whispering going on below them. As more and more Gerudo heard the translated words, they all turned abruptly furious.

Cabo shifted uncomfortably. “I am but a messenger of the King’s will, but… yes, that is what he believes.”

Ganondorf didn’t say anything for a moment, just let the tension grow as he narrowed his eyes. “And what if you were to return to Hyrule and inform your King that we have not got his precious princess?” He inquired nastily.

Cabo gave half a glance at the soldier besides him, as if asking for help. “Uh, the thing is, your Majesty, that the King is really quite certain that you have.”

He raised a brow. “And?”

“Well, essentially, his Majesty has decreed that if the Princess is not returned to Hyrule within a fortnight, uh, and I quote-” here Cabo unrolled the scroll again. “-the full forces of Hyrule’s armies will unite and move against the – the Gerudo scourge.” His voice was quite small at the end of that sentence.

Ganondorf swelled in indignation and fury, and was about to reply, when a clear voice rang out behind him.

“What utter rubbish!” Snapped Zelda, moving to pull the scroll from Cabo’s stunned grasp. The man (and his soldiers) strongly resembled a fish, his mouth opening and closing in shock. “Give me that scroll, Ambassador. What has Papa said this time?”

“P -Princess Zelda!” He gasped, and almost as one, the Hylian’s dropped to their knees and bowed before her.

The Gerudo all looked shocked, and then the muttering began. He heard a lot of ‘Princess Zelda? Not Tetra?’.

Zelda looked quite Queenly as she stood there, back straight. Her whole bearing had changed, and he knew then she’d put her Princess persona back on, and now, she positively radiated royalty.

“Stand up, Ambassador.” She said sharply.

Ganondorf raised a brow at her tone, but didn’t speak. He wanted to see what Zelda would do, now that she’d completely let the cat out of the bag.

“Princess!” Cabo looked wildly excited. “You’re here! Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, I –.” She started.

“Then it is true! The savages did kidna-”

Ganondorf reacted before the man finished his sentence. Seizing the little man about the throat, he hoisted him into the air, holding him there with one hand.

“Say that again.” He hissed. Cabo looked petrified as his hands gripped Ganondorf’s wrists. His movement had started a chain reaction; the Hylian soldiers were brandishing their weapons at him as they attempted to edge Zelda out of the way. At the sight of men threatening their King, the majority of the Gerudo promptly pulled out their own weapons. Zelda was looking quite panicked.

“Ambassador Cabo!” She cried. “Please, apologise.”

“ _What?”_ The little man spluttered, turning a dangerous shade of red and purple.

Ganondorf saw red, and pulled the little man in close, growling his next words directly into his face.

“You come into my land, accuse my people of abducting the Princess, and then have the temerity to insult us to my face. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t snap your neck.”

Cabo went deathly pale. “My – ap – apologies!” He managed to choke out.

Ganondorf immediately dropped him. The short sack of a man was over a metre off the ground, so when he impacted on the stage his bulk seemed to flatten before springing back into shape as he bounced.

The Gerudo King took a step back, still furious as he glared at the little Hylian. Zelda was staring, looking very unsure, and the general mood of the rest of the Gerudo was decidedly mutinous.

Zelda stared at Ambassador Cabo in horror. Things had taken a decidedly terrible turn, and Ganondorf was looking particularly murderous as he glared at the man on the ground. Once Cabo was back on his feet, assisted by the soldiers, he held his throat and wheezed, glaring back. She just knew that something bad would happen if she let Cabo open his mouth again, judging from the tension crackling from Ganondorf’s form.

She darted forwards. “Ambassador Cabo.” She said with a smile etched firmly in place. “Might I have a word?”

Cabo nodded slimily. “Of course, your Highness.”

Leading him over to the far end of the stage, Zelda frowned at him. “What on earth possessed you to insult the King like that?” She asked in a furious whisper. “You called him a savage to his face! Are you mad?”

Rather than look abashed, Cabo merely angry. “They kidnapped you, Princess!”

“No they didn’t.” She said firmly. At his look of surprise, Zelda elaborated. “I left Hyrule by myself, under my own power. I was in the Goron Mountains when I injured myself. The Gerudo very kindly offered assistance, and I am very thankful they did.”

Cabo looked sceptical. “Under your own power?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She sighed. “Because… well, because I don’t wish to marry yet.”

Cabo raised a brow. “Nonsense. Why would you wish to turn down the King of Labrynna? He is titled, wealthy, and immensely respectable. No, I am convinced, Princess, that you must be covering for them.” He lowered his voice. “Though why you would do that, I’m not sure. Blackmail, perhaps?”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Please. I can assure you that I am here by my own choice. I must ask you to leave, and inform my father that I have no intention of either marrying King Caenar, or returning to Hyrule.”

The ambassador looked shocked. “What? But you can’t stay here forever.”

She shrugged. “Maybe not. I’ll go to Holodrum next, or maybe Calatia, but the one place I am _not_ going is Labrynna.”

“Your father won’t be happy.”  
“My father is not in control of my life.”

He sighed. “Very well. I cannot persuade you to accompany us back to Hyrule now?”

“No. Just… tell my father I am here by my own will. Tell him to rescind this ridiculous accusation. There will be no war.”

He nodded very stiffly, and walked around her to Ganondorf, who folded his arms and straightened, looking less than impressed. Zelda was struck by the physical difference between the two; Cabo, short and wide, sweating profusely in his robes, his wig sitting askew on his head. What a contrast he made to the Gerudo King, who stood far taller than any ordinary man, built of solid muscle hewn from dark skin, his eyes flashing and his air menacing. She could see the sense of superiority that Cabo carried, knew that he considered himself above the Gerudo king; perhaps his opinion of Ganondorf might have been improved if the King had been wearing more than just his trousers.

As it was, Ganondorf’s bare chest gleamed in the sun, his muscles bulging and shifting in quite a distracting fashion with his slightest movement. Cabo looked quite sour for a moment, as though he’d bitten into a lemon.

“I must apologise, your Majesty. It seems Hyrule has acted rashly, and accused your people of an act you have not committed. I believe I ought to take my leave now. I will of course personally assure the King of your innocence.”

Ganondorf might have well been made from stone, for all the reaction he showed. The silence was uncomfortable by the time he spoke.

“Why would I let you leave?” He asked dangerously. _Oh no_. Zelda closed her eyes for a moment, then glared at the ambassador. _The bloody fool!_ Why had Cabo insulted him so?

Cabo paled visibly, then he steeled himself. “I must inform the King-”

“Messenger hawks exist.”

_Oh dear._

“But!-” Stammered Cabo, and Ganondorf rolled his eyes and flicked a wrist dismissively.

“Get out of my sight.”

Cabo did not need telling twice. His soldiers surrounded him instantly as the group scurried off the platform and through the crowd.

The moment Cabo’s little group disappeared around a corner, every Gerudo eye in the vicinity turned to face her.

 _Oh_.

Zelda pursed her lips slightly, wondering what she should do. They knew. They knew she was the princess. Was that good… or bad?

Ganondorf turned towards her and spoke. “ _Zélda-iva_.” He had reverted back to Gerudo, and she focused intensely, to unsure she understood. _Princess Zelda._

He no doubt would have said something else, but was interrupted by a Gerudo woman.

“I think you owe us an explanation.”

Zelda didn’t see who spoke, but she nodded and moved to the edge of the platform anyway. Nothing but her years at court stopped her from feeling embarrassed or self-conscious with the weight of so many eyes upon her.

“I suppose I do, yes.” She said simply.

“Why call yourself Tetra? Why leave Hyrule?” This was Tovusa, and hurt glimmered in her eyes.

She started at the beginning. “I am engaged to be married, to a man I’d – rather not.”

A ripple went around the assembled Gerudo. At her side, Ganondorf was like a statue as he watched her.

“So say no.” Called a woman she did not recognise.

Zelda gave a short, humourless laugh. “I can’t. I am the property of my father, until the day I am given to my husband to belong to him instead.”

There was ominous muttering at that. Of course the Gerudo, ferocious warrior women who answered to none but themselves would object to such terms.

“Your father would sell you like a beast?”

She nodded. “That is precisely why I left.” She rolled her eyes. “I was exploring the Goron territories. I’d just come from Eldin. And then I was stupid and broke my ankle.”

“What will you do?”

The Princess of Hyrule stared out at the faces that watched her.

“I don’t know.”

 

* * *

 

The first thing that Minster Cabo, Ambassador to the King, did when his carriage rolled through the gates of the castle, was send a message to the King and Queen informing them he had information of their daughter’s whereabouts. Once more, his thoughts returned to the man who’d dared to lay a finger on him, a _Gerudo_ man, so far below a minster such as himself, nothing more than an arrogant warrior, though he called himself a King. Cabo smiled grimly, imagining the look on the warrior’s face when Hyrule came for him.

When he entered the throne room, the King and Queen were waiting. The Queen’s lovely face was hopeful and fearful at the same time; the King impatient and angry. Cabo bowed deeply.

“Your Majesties.” He said respectfully.

“Never mind the pleasantries.” Snapped the King. “Where is my daughter?”

Cabo nodded. “She is being held by the Gerudo.”

Queen Irania seemed to melt a little on her throne.

“Held?” Asked the King tensely.

“Yes.” Lied Cabo. He wanted to see the upstart ‘King’ put in his place. “I’ve seen her; she is mostly unharmed.” He put careful emphasis on the second last word.

“Mostly?” The Queen whispered the word, her face deathly pale.

“It seems she’s had a broken ankle in the early stages of her imprisonment.”

King Jonotan tilted his head as his wife gasped. “They let you see her?”

“The Princess is allowed to roam the fortress; she technically could leave, but she knows she would never survive trying to cross the desert on her own, so she has to stay.”

Queen Irania seemed overcome.

“There is… one more thing.” He began delicately, pausing for maximum impact. “The man who ordered Princess Zelda’s capture…”

The King shot to his feet. “ _Man?”_ He demanded.

Cabo stifled a grin; this was exactly the reaction he was hoping for. Why, he’d nearly passed out when he’d seen that muscular behemoth approach him – it was worse still when he’d announced himself to be King. It had taken all of the minister’s willpower not to react.

“Yes, a man. A _Gerudo_ man. He calls himself Ganondorf Dragmire, and styles himself as King.”

Unbridled horror showed on King Jonotan’s face. So he knew what that entailed. Cabo had studied the legends of the Triforce; he’d seen the mark on the Gerudo’s hand, and knew exactly what would happen. If he could convince the King to call upon the hero…

“Dragmire?” Jonotan looked stunned.

“Yes.” Cabo coughed as delicately as possible. “He bears the Triforce of Power. I saw it myself.”

The King closed his eyes.

“He is a brutal savage, your Majesty. He threatened me; lifted me clear off the ground with one hand. He didn’t even break a sweat doing it. He told me in no uncertain terms would I leave the fortress with the Princess.”

“Describe him.” Commanded the King.

“He is tall, Majesty, very tall. I would not be surprised if he were closer to eight foot then seven. He is extremely well built; a very powerful man, a veritable colossus. I do not think there is an inch of him that is not muscle. He looks every inch a warrior.”

“You have made quite study of him.”

Cabo rolled his eyes. “It was hard not to; the man spoke to me dressed in nothing but trousers.”

“Its worse than I thought.” The King didn’t seem to realise he’d spoken. “To think we tried to shield her from him. She’s completely defenceless now, _completely_.”

“His skin is dark, yet curiously _green_ rather than the bronze of the women. His hair; he looks really quite uncivilised, for it hangs down his back as long as a woman’s.”

Cabo then went for the kill. “I am glad your Majesties did not see the way he looked at the Princess.”

The Queen made a noise as if she were in pain.

“Explain yourself.” Hissed the King. His knuckles were white knobs of bone as he clenched his fingers.

“The Princess… she is not permitted to wear modest clothing.” The Queen let out a shuddering gasp. “She wears the clothing of the Gerudo, and looks very uncomfortable in it.” He paused as if trying to be tactful. “I… presume your Majesties are aware of the fact that traditional Gerudo clothing covers very little? The King of the Gerudo… well, his gaze frequently and blatantly went to the Princess’s bare skin.”

The King looked furious.

“I am sorry to say it, but even from my very short audience with the King, I can easily see that he is not the type of man to er… control himself.”

“You think my daughter is no longer pure?” Thundered the King.

“She all but confirmed it herself, Majesty. The Princess’s natural modesty prevented her from speaking such a thing out loud, but she hinted in it in such a way it could be nothing but the truth.”

The King was raging now, and all was perfect.

“You there! Have the Captain of the Guard summoned to my offices immediately.” The King yelled at the closest guard; the man saluted hurriedly and ran off. Cabo nearly jumped for joy; the Captain of the Guard was none other than Link, the hero and the bearer of Courage himself. Ganondorf Dragmire, the filthy savage, and his equally dirty women would all get what was coming to them.

Jonotan turned to face him. “Thank you for venturing into such dangerous territory, minister.” He said tonelessly. “Your bravery will not go unrewarded. I trust you gave the Gerudo my terms?”

He inclined his head. “Of course, Majesty. The King scoffed at them; he does not think you will go through with it.”

Anger glimmered in Jonotan’s eyes, and Cabo concealed a smile. The King was generally a level headed man, but now, thinking his daughter was in danger, was being defiled by a brutal savage… hopefully, Cabo could influence him into making an attack on the Gerudo immediately, rather than wait for more information. The Queen spoke then.

“What did Zelda say?” She asked, sounding broken-hearted.

“She wants to come home, your Majesty. She begged me to get her out, but… I didn’t have enough soldiers, and the Gerudo… I couldn’t hide her no matter how hard I tried to. I had to leave her there.”

Queen Irania sobbed once, stood up, and left the room.

Jonotan nodded at him, a furious scowl twisting his lips. “Thank you, minister. You may go.”

Cabo celebrated long into the night.


	5. To have Loved, then Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf proposes marriage to Zelda after they make love for the first time, as he is determined to keep her. Their happiness is cut short when Hyrule invades.

One week had passed since the Hylian ambassador had left, and Ganondorf was on edge. There was now one week until the day Cabo had given as the deadline for Zelda’s return, and she was still in the valley. She maintained that Hyrule would not do anything if Cabo had conveyed her wishes to her father, but she couldn’t hide the look of unease in her eyes. He’d given orders to increase desert patrols, posted more guards on the battlements, and sent women to ensure that the weapons rooms were full in readiness for a battle that may or may not happen. He’d sent words to the other fortresses in the desert, and he hoped that all the nomadic tribes had been reached. As the main fortress, he had no doubt this would be under attack first, if indeed Zelda was wrong and Hyrule did come to collect her.

The Gerudo had been wary for a day or two, but, as she had continued to assure them that they didn’t have to refer to her as ‘Princess’, they warmed up again, and now, instead of Tetra, she was simply Zelda. Ganondorf was on his way to her apartment to find her now. He visited her bed each night, but still didn’t know her as intimately as he would like, which was a status he wished dearly to change. As he and everyone else in the fortress had been tense and uneasy since the Hylians had left, he was determined to take his mind off things. Therefore, Ganondorf was taking Zelda to the Desert Colossus, the Spirit Temple. Now that he knew he had potentially very little time left with her, he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, and that included teaching her about his culture.

Ganondorf arrived at Zelda’s rooms to find her curled up in a chair reading. She smiled when he walked in, and stood up.   
“Good morning.”

“Morning.” He replied, hoisting her into the air for a brief kiss. Her lips were soft and sweet, and sometimes he thought he’d never get enough. Zelda’s fingers threaded into his hair and she pulled herself closer, and for a moment he forgot what he was doing there. She pulled back with a grin.

“That was a nice greeting.” She snickered, and he rolled his eyes and put her back on her feet.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and attempted to lead her towards the door, but she planted her feet.

“What? Go where?”

“I want to take you to the Spirit Temple.” He explained.

“The Spirit Temple?”

Ganondorf frowned down at her. “You don’t want to?”

“Oh, of course I want to. You just took me by surprise, that’s all.”

He nodded; that was a satisfactory answer. “Grab your pack and let’s go.”

Once Zelda was sufficiently prepared, they exited her rooms and he led her towards the tunnels. The Spirit Temple was a few hours walk, and by leaving early, they could spend a few hours in the temple at high noon, then come back to the fortress. Ganondorf was quite excited, really. He hadn’t been in the temple for a while, and he wanted to pray to _va Éshi_. They didn’t talk much in the busier sections of the tunnels, but whenever there was privacy, he questioned Zelda about herself. He genuinely wanted to know, and that surprised him, really.

They arrived at the Temple to find it fairly empty, which wasn’t unusual. The Temple was a place of reverence; it was not for casual visits. This was not a casual visit; it was an introduction, the last proper introduction for Zelda into Gerudo culture.

Zelda loved the Desert Colossus. When they had emerged from the tunnels, they overlooked a lovely oasis, surrounded by palm trees and flowering shrubs she had no name for. It was beautiful, and she told him as much. Ganondorf grinned, looking pleased, and took her hand to lead her towards the temple. When the final dune fell away and Zelda saw the Desert Colossus for the first time, she gasped and stopped walking, feeling like her eyes would fall out of her head. Ganondorf paused to watch her reaction to the temple’s beauty, and beautiful it was.

A massive cliff face rose out of the sand, featuring an ornately carved doorway that led deep into the rock. What caught her attention was the massive effigy of a woman, this Goddess of the Sand, carved into the stone above the door. She was beautiful in her detail, her hands held palm up as if in offering. There was such a sense of quiet reverence Zelda felt compelled to stand in awe, even if this wasn’t even her deity.

“Its – I – I don’t know what to say.” She breathed. “It’s beautiful – amazing.”

Ganondorf looked pleased. “Wait until you see inside.”

He took her hand again and tugged her forwards, making her smile at his impatience. Zelda liked the way he took such pride in his culture, and the way he seemed to eager to share it with her, despite who she was. It was honestly very sweet.

The temple inside was equally stunning. The amazingly high vaulted ceilings and walls were carved within an inch of their lives with the most fantastical depictions of ancient Gerudo.

“Whoever carved this was very skilled.” Zelda said, letting her fingers hover over an image of a Gerudo kneeling before the sun.

“Indeed.” Said Ganondorf. “Each carving tells a story. See here? The Goddess is very closely intertwined with the sun; for she gives us life, but can also cause our death, just like the sun.”

He pointed at another image, this one of several women bearing weapons. “These were our first warriors.” He said, a fierce note of pride in his voice. “These carvings are from the earliest Gerudo, of course. When we first came to the desert.”

Zelda smiled at him. “I like the way you say ‘we’.” She said.

That confused him. “What do you mean?”

“In Hyrule, if you asked a scholar about the early Hylians, they would refer to them as ‘they’. Cold and impartial. But you refer to your ancestors as ‘we’. It sounds… so much warmer.”

He swelled with pride. “That just shows how big a fool Hylian’s can be.” He said seriously. “There is nothing more important than honouring one’s ancestors and one’s past.”

She nodded. “The longer I spend here, the more I understand that.”

And it was true. The Gerudo had enormous amounts of respect for the dead, particularly if said tribeswoman had died in combat.

Ganondorf took her along to the main part of the temple that she likened to the cathedrals found back home. It was absolutely massive, large stained glass windows flooding the cavernous room with red and orange light. At the far end, a large statue of the Goddess stood, her outstretched arms holding a plate full of fire.

Zelda went to speak, glanced over at Ganondorf, and changed her mind. The reverence in his face struck her dumb, and she watched as he approached the statue of his deity, and began to speak. He was apparently using a different form of Gerudo, for she understood only a few words of what he said. The archaic prayers sounded otherworldly as they echoed within the temple. Next, he knelt before the statue, going still and silent for several long minutes. Zelda felt almost uncomfortable being in the same room; it seemed like an invasion of intimacy for her to witness this.

When Ganondorf was finished with his prayers, he stood up and came over to her, giving her a lazy smile.

“What do you think?” He asked.

“I still don’t have the right words.” She said earnestly. “It’s beyond anything I could have imagined.”

He preened, then took her hand again. “Come, I’ll show you the rest of Temple.”

They spent a good couple of hours exploring, talking, and sneaking covert touches. Eventually, Ganondorf led her outside the temple, and grabbed her hand again. “This way.” He announced, pointing towards the cliffs on the other side of the oasis.

“Where are we going now?” Zelda asked, shielding her face from the sun.

“My favourite place in the whole desert.”

This turned out to be a very narrow crack in the cliff. Zelda stared at it doubtfully. “Do you mean to go in there?” She asked.

Ganondorf nodded. “Yep.” With that, he turned on his side and inched in. He barely fitted. After a moment’s hesitation, she followed. The crack widened after a few metres, and eventually opened up into a massive earthy cavern. There was a hole in the ceiling through which light flooded, and the remains of a massive ancient tree, petrified with age, hung from one wall and stretched across the cavern, which had a deep, perfectly blue and still pool of water resting in the centre, surrounded by cool white sand. Zelda stared around, utterly amazed.

“What do you think?”

He asked. “It’s beautiful. How did you find it?”

Ganondorf grinned crookedly. “I found it centuries ago, as a small boy.”

“I can just imagine.” She could really; could see an enthusiastic and adventurous little boy with bright red hair exploring and discovering this place.

“Do the others know about it?”

“Some. Not all. This is my sanctuary, so to speak. They avoid coming here if they can.”

That made her feel like she really ought to thank him for bringing her here. Zelda walked over and touched his hand. “Thank you.” She said softly.

Ganondorf smirked. “For what?”

“For bringing me here. For treating me like this. You didn’t have to.”

“No. I certainty didn’t.” A slight shadow passed over his face as he watched her. “I must admit, it’s most peculiar to stand here like this, knowing that you are the descendant of the women I’ve despised for centuries.”

Zelda looked down. “But you don’t despise me?” Well. Did that come off as very needy, requiring validation?

Ganondorf surprised her by chuckling, then he took her hand and led her beneath the dead roots of the tree, where she found a small area set up, of comfortable blankets and cushions resting beneath a canopy of draped linens, creating a bright yet sheltered space. Ganondorf immediately flopped down onto the blankets with an easy grace, and patted the space besides him. Zelda sat down and occupied herself with removing her knapsack from her shoulders and placing it on the ground. She had something to ask him.

“Ganondorf.” She began. “May I ask you something?”

He nodded, still wearing a grin.

“If you knew who I was, and you hated the other Zelda’s so much, why didn’t you kill me?”

His smile faded. “I was going to.” The words seemed to tear into her flesh, make her bleed. “I had the knife in my hand and the blade against your throat.”

“Why didn’t you?” She breathed. There was a feral, dark light in his eyes.

“I wanted to see the fear in your eyes. I wanted you to _know_ what had happened to you, I wanted you to know that _I_ would be the one to spill your blood in this life, without your precious hero to save you.” He sounded frustrated when he spoke next. “But then you opened your eyes and you looked at me with such _trust!”_

He glared. “It confused me, I admit. I suspected you were playing at something. The Zelda’s I knew were always very good at manipulating people, but there has never been one who looked at me the way you do.”

Zelda stared at him, unsure what to say. Ganondorf raked his gaze over her with a particularly dark yet confused look.   
“And yet you still don’t look scared.” He muttered angrily.

“Do you want me to be?” That question gave him pause.

“No. I don’t think I do.” He sounded frustrated. “And I don’t know _why_.”

Feeling bold, Zelda moved closer, brushing her hand over his Triforce, listening to the resonance it created.

“The Triforce has always drawn its bearers together, whether they like it or not. I am thankful that in this lifetime at least, it hasn’t yet caused violence.”

Ganondorf nodded, gazing at their interlaced fingers. “Hmm.” Suddenly he grabbed her waist and pulled her into him. “You’re right. I am thankful for it.”

He kissed her softly, almost like he expected her to pull away. Zelda made sure to dispel that notion by twining her fingers into his hair and pulling him closer. He made a desperate sort of noise in the back of his throat, and then they were moving, rolling so that Ganondorf was on top of her, between her legs. He kissed her so deeply she could barely breathe, and when he began to rock his hips into hers she began to feel a flicker of hope, a flicker that merged with her growing desire, fanning the flames low in her belly.

Ganondorf ducked under her chin and meandered down her throat, taking his sweet time, alternating between using his tongue and his teeth until she was a writhing mess beneath him. His hands closed over her breasts, making her moan as he teased her nipples into high, taut peaks. Then he sat up slightly, a questioning look in his eye as his fingers lifted the hem of her top a scant centimetre. Zelda nodded breathlessly, sitting up slightly herself as he pulled her top over her head.

Ganondorf stared at Zelda as she lay beneath him, her beautiful breasts exposed for his pleasure. _And hers._ With a wicked grin, he kissed her mouth again, and then began the long journey back down the smooth column of her throat. Her scent drifted into his nose with every motion of her body, and he was very close to losing what little amount of control left. Finally, finally he made it down to her breasts, tugging a nipple into his mouth and abrading it with his teeth, curling his tongue around the shivering peak until she cried out, at which point he swapped to her other breast, repeating the process. By this time, Zelda was arching her hips against his until it was all he could do not to rip her clothing off and bury himself deep inside.

 _But no._ He would make this good for her. While they hadn’t explicitly discussed it a great deal, he knew that she was a virgin, and he had no wish to bring her more pain than necessary. Ganondorf let his hand slip lower, massaging her abdomen as he licked and nibbled at her breasts, and when he received no adverse reaction, he went a little lower, letting his fingers dip into the waistband of her trousers, smirking as she moaned. Ganondorf sat up, letting his fingers play on the waistband as he shifted so he knelt beside her.

“Do you want to?” He breathed.

Zelda nodded. “Yes.”

Slowly, very slowly, he removed her shoes, then peeled her trousers down and off, revealing her naked body. Ganondorf took a long moment to drink her in; her pale skin glowed in the sunlight, and he wanted to taste her. He started at her ankle, sliding his hand slowly up her leg until he reached her thighs, then slowly pushed her legs apart, settling himself between them. Zelda’s eyes were huge as her hands gripped the blankets beneath them, and he leaned down to kiss her soundly once more.

Her hands landed on his chest, tugging at his cloak. He shrugged it off and threw it to the side without releasing her mouth, groaning slightly as Zelda’s small fingers traced down until they brushed against the front of his pants. He heard her intake of breath as she explored, moulding her fingers against him until he thought he’d die. When she pulled the lacing of his trousers free he was pretty sure he had, and when her fingers ghosted along the side of his cock Ganondorf suspected he’d died and gone to the Sacred Realm. Zelda was blushing now, turning a very appealing shade of pink, and he smirked at her, dipping his head to take her lips briefly once more before he sat up and began to trace his tongue down the length of her body.

 

The lower he went, the breathier and more frequent her gasps became, and her fingers sank into his hair.

“What are you doing?” She whispered.

“Relax. You’ll like it.” He growled, pulling her legs up over his shoulders. Zelda went tense at that, making an embarrassed and uncertain noise.

Leaning forwards, Ganondorf let her scent assault him as his tongue traced her dripping centre, determined to explore every inch of her. The sounds she let out were music to his ears; after long lingering minutes she wasn’t stiff anymore, rather, her hips arched against him as she cried out in bliss, her fingers buried in his hair. He could tell she was close, and sped up his movements, finding her clit and stroking it with the flat of his tongue until her body tensed and Zelda shattered with a wail. Slowly, Ganondorf let her legs down as she trembled in obvious ecstasy, her back arched slightly.

He lay down beside her, pulling her form into his and waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, she gave him a very blissed out smile.

“That was – _incredible_.” She whispered, turning pink. Ganondorf smirked as he leaned down to kiss her again – he certainly didn’t mind this confirmation of his prowess.

“Ready for part two?” He murmured, dragging his fangs lightly across her lips.

“Yes.” She breathed, then smiled. “You’ve still got clothes on. That doesn’t seem very fair to me.”

“You may have a point.” He ripped off his boots in record time, then had the pleasure of watching Zelda’s eyes grow wide as his trousers came off.

Zelda stared Ganondorf’s naked body in nothing short of awe. He was…. she didn’t have the words. When she finally dragged her gaze up to his face, he was smirking at her knowingly, and she blushed violently. He slid an arm about her shoulders and pulled her closer, and she surrendered to him with a sigh as he kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth with ease. Her body still hummed with electricity from before, when Ganondorf had had his head between her… Zelda turned an even brighter shade of scarlet.

Ganondorf tugged on her nipples and she moaned into his mouth, spreading her legs wider, which made his eyes gleam wickedly. Her blood boiled in her veins and her heart pounded, and somewhere deep inside her core, she ached for him.

“Please.” She moaned, digging her nails into his shoulders. “ _Please_.”

Ganondorf growled and kissed her fiercely for a moment, before manoeuvring himself into position. Zelda swallowed hard as she felt the head of his shaft bumping slightly at her entrance.

“Ready?” He asked gruffly, and Zelda nodded.

It hurt, but not as much as she was expecting when he pushed inside her. Zelda cried out, then shut her eyes, gritted her teeth and breathed deeply for a few moments, while Ganondorf groaned and buried his face in the side of her neck. After another moment, he lifted his head, brushing his fingers across her cheek. Zelda opened her eyes to see him watching her with concern.

“Are you okay?” He managed to get out.

Zelda assessed herself. While there was definitely pain between her thighs, her desire demanded that he begin to move. She nodded. “Yes.” She breathed. “ _Please_ …”

Ganondorf groaned once more and slowly withdrew, making her cry out as his movement only stoked the fire growing low in her belly. Zelda wrapped her legs around his waist as he entered her once more, and they both groaned at the added depth.

Sliding a hand beneath her back, Ganondorf pulled her into him as he moved within her, kissing her hard as he began to rock his hips into hers in earnest. The friction of his movement caused sensation to ripple over her skin, and Zelda no longer had control over the sounds she was making.

Abruptly, he pulled back, rolling over and pulling her on top of him. Zelda stared, her eyes wide as Ganondorf grinned and kissed her lightly. She could feel his shaft pressing against her backside, and she gave an experimental wiggle against him, enjoying the feeling of his fingers tightening on her skin as he groaned. The Gerudo King released her lips and took her hips in his hands, encouraging her to sit up. She blushed a little to be sitting in such a very explicit position; he could clearly see every inch of her, and from the way his gaze roamed over her form, she guessed he didn’t mind it. Large hands suddenly lifted her hips, and Zelda’s uncertain gaze found his face as he lowered her slowly down onto his arousal. She bit her lip and tried to stifle her moan as he filled her once more, a shadow of her earlier pain coming back to haunt her as Ganondorf began to move her body atop him, showing her what to do and setting their rhythm.

Ganondorf rather suspected he was going to die right then and there as he watched Zelda moving above him. She had found the rhythm he’d set, and with each passing second her movements grew more confident, her breasts bouncing as she rode him. His gaze fastened firmly onto her breasts, and he released her hips in favour of reaching up in order to tease her nipples, watching her eyes drift shut even as her moans increased in both frequency and volume. He pinched her suddenly, and Zelda cried out, pausing her movements atop him, grinding down so he was seated as deep inside her as he could possibly go, her body clenching so tightly around his cock it was a wonder he didn’t explode on the spot. Ganondorf groaned, swore, and sat up, seizing her hips once more so he could move her faster.

Zelda could feel something building under her skin, deep in her core, sensation washing through her and leaving her breathless. _It’s like before,_ she thought somewhere in the far reaches of her mind, _It’s what it felt like before._ Zelda could feel that something expanding like a bubble, taking her with it as Ganondorf groaned into her mouth, his hips bucking beneath her and lifting her higher. She could feel him swelling inside her, and when the bubble burst, it was all she could do to hold onto him as her body writhed and her mind ran white with sensation that fizzed under her skin and buzzed through her veins. Zelda was distantly aware of Ganondorf holding her hips down onto his length and letting out a broken groan as his release followed hot on her heels. After that she knew nothing but sensation.

When Zelda recovered, she opened to eyes to find herself cradled in Ganondorf’s arms as he lay on his side with her tucked into his chest. She gave him a smile that quite possibly appeared slightly befuddled. Ganondorf stroked a hand up and down her spine slowly, and she pressed herself closer with a little murmur of contentment. And she was content, even with the ache between her legs and the sand between her toes.

“How are you feeling?” He asked softly.

Zelda stretched, luxuriating in the feel of his body against hers. “Good. Very good.”

Ganondorf snickered slightly. “I’m glad to hear it.”

He kissed her then, long and lingering, his hands roaming over her body as hers twined around his neck.

Then, to her utter surprise, he picked her up.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Zelda cried.

Ganondorf smirked. “Let’s go for a swim.”

“A swim?”

He nodded towards the pool. Zelda stared at it suspiciously, becoming more aware of the slight ache that was making its presence known between her thighs.

“Does anything live in that pool?”

“No.”

Ganondorf was up to his knees in water by now.

“Is it cold?” She squeaked, temporarily forgetting she was in the middle of a hot desert.

He rolled his eyes and kept walking. Once they were properly in the water, Ganondorf let her go. Forgetting that he was a fair bit taller than she was, Zelda righted herself, expecting to feel her feet hit the bottom of the pool, seeing as he was clearly standing. What happened instead was that she immediately sank, then came up again, less than impressed.

“What are you so tall for?” She complained, grabbing onto his arm. “I can’t touch the bottom.”

Snickering, Ganondorf slid an arm beneath her knees and around her shoulders, effectively turning himself into a chair for her to recline in.

The water was absolutely lovely, crystal clear and cool. They spent the next hour in the pool swimming around, kissing and touching at every opportunity, and then Ganondorf got it into his head to throw her in the air a few times, which resulted in a fair bit of screaming, for he could throw her quite high, and busied himself with laughing hysterically at her as she plummeted back down into the water.

As she surfaced, spluttering, for what felt like the millionth time, Ganondorf seized her about the waist again. Immediately, Zelda clamped onto him with her arms and legs.

“If you throw me again…” She threatened.

He laughed. “Is that a threat?”

“ _Yes_.” She said firmly.

Ganondorf pulled her closer so he could whisper in her ear. “And what will be my punishment, O mighty Princess?”

Zelda wrinkled her nose. “I’ll think of something.”

That made him laugh, and she could feel his muscles tensing in preparation for throwing her again.

“Oh no you don’t.” She declared, and pulled his face down to hers. The kiss grew very heated very quickly, and it proved to be an excellent distraction method. When she pulled back, she leaned into him, resting her head in the hollow of his throat.

“I’m going to have to go back, aren’t I?” She asked quietly.

Ganondorf said nothing for a long moment, merely tightened his grip on her.

“I don’t know.” He said, then paused. “Do you feel you have to?”

“I have no idea. I miss my mother most, I think. I mean, I – of course I feel a responsibility to my kingdom and my crown – my _people_ – but… I know that if I do go, then… I won’t be happy, and… I don’t want to live my life like that.”

He nodded. “Do what you want to do.”

“But at the same time… Cabo said he would tell my father I was here by my own will, but… I still feel a little uneasy about it.”

Ganondorf sounded equally suspicious when he replied. “I agree. Technically, I think it would be wise if you did return to Hyrule, if only to remove blame from my people. But if you do, then you’ll end up in Labrynna…” He scowled intensely. “I don’t want that.”

Zelda smiled. “And you said you’d never have to choose between your people and your feelings.”

He looked unimpressed. “Don’t use my own words against me, please. And, _I_ don’t intend to choose.”

She frowned slightly. “What do you mean?” A pit of foreboding settled in the pit of her stomach. He didn’t mean what she thought he meant, did he?

“Well, it’s your choice. I can’t force you to stay.”  
Zelda smiled, relieved. She’d thought for a terrible moment he was going to say he didn’t want her. “Do you want me to stay?”

Ganondorf grinned and pulled her closer. “I wouldn’t object.” He leaned down to kiss her lightly. When he pulled back, she trailed her fingers over his cheek.

“I’d like to stay.” She whispered, and his grin widened.

“Then you’ll have to get used to my sisters permanently.” He teased. “Think you can handle it?”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

Ganondorf snickered lightly, then began towing her out of the water.   
“What are you doing?” She asked as he scooped her into his arms.

“I’ve got something for you.” He replied, placing her gently on the blankets. Zelda pulled one of the loose, filmy pieces of material around her body, and Ganondorf slid back into his pants, apparently not caring that he was still wet. He spent a minute or two rifling through his pack while she closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree, letting the sun dry her.

Ganondorf touched her knee.

“Zelda?”

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Yes?”

Taking her hand in his, he played with her fingers, an unidentifiable look in his eyes. “I… don’t really know how this works, but… I’m pretty sure you get a ring.”

_What?_

Zelda leaned forwards. “Ring?” She asked, her heart beating fast.

Ganondorf unfurled his fingers, revealing a slight gold ring embedded with a topaz gem, the same as the ones worn by all the Gerudo. She couldn’t help her smile as he went to put it on her, then paused.

“Any finger?” He asked doubtfully. “I can’t say I’ve paid much attention to Hylian marriage customs.”

Zelda laughed. “Ring finger.” She said, showing him. Ganondorf slid the ring in place, then kissed her knuckles.

She smiled wider. “So this is a proposal?”

He grinned. “It’s unorthodox, I admit it. Cut me some slack.”

Zelda laughed and moved closer, brushing her fingers over his cheek before she pressed her lips to his. When they separated, Ganondorf smirked at her, looking pleased.

“I… do not know a great deal about marriage, and really, I don’t see the point of it. But… I want to keep you, Zelda. I want you, and I want you to stay with me. If marriage is the avenue that lets me keep you for life, then I will do it, for your sake.” Ganondorf finished this little speech with a doubtful look in his eye, as though he still couldn’t believe he’d actually proposed to her.

Zelda smiled down at her ring, stroking a finger over the jewels embedded in the band. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say that.” She said softly, and then they got lost in each other’s eyes for a long, lingering moment.

“So is that a yes, or a no?” Ganondorf asked eventually, a shadow of very real worry crossing his face.

“Yes.” She whispered. “Of course.”

He smiled hugely then, and pulled her closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and they spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating.

When at last they arrived back at the fortress, it was nearly dark, and Ganondorf left her at her rooms with a promise of his returning later that night. Zelda felt as though she were floating on air – she _could_ marry for love. This way, her father would have no choice to accept that she wouldn’t marry Caenar – it would get her out of that corner nicely.

Ganondorf didn’t arrive until late, after most people had gone to bed, and she herself was curled in a chair, waiting for the tell tale flutter of fabric that would announce a visitor. When the curtain was pushed aside to reveal the Gerudo King – her _fiancé_ – a flutter of butterflies in her belly shouted excitedly, she smiled and held out a hand, beckoning him over.

Ganondorf grinned at her, doing exactly as she wished as he came over, kissed her lightly, then sat down besides her. After a second or two, he apparently decided this wasn’t good enough, because he reached over to haul her into his lap.

“Good evening, Princess.” His warm breath tickled as he nuzzled her ear, nipping her neck slightly.

“Good evening yourself.” She replied, smiling as she tipped her head back, allowing him further access. Ganondorf tightened his grip on her and groaned even as he took care to mark her, suckling at her flesh with the express purpose of seeing red bloom along her skin. As he did, however, there was suddenly a crashing of gongs that echoed across the fortress, picking up in number and volume as more and more joined the first. A horn chimed in, the notes low and long. Ganondorf’s head snapped up, his hands frozen on her form, and then he was on his feet, carrying her into her bedchamber and practically tossing her down onto her bed.

“Hyrule is coming. They’re _early_. The filthy lying bastards.” He snarled, then took her face in his hands and kissed her savagely. “Stay here, Zelda. I don’t want to lose you.”

He was gone before she could reply, all but hurling himself out the door, joining the horde of women that flooded the streets and drew their weapons, hurrying to their posts. Zelda scurried across the room to kneel at the window, peering out of it. She could see women lighting fires and lamps, illuminating the fortress, some of them carrying small children to safe houses. Common sense warred with the need to be useful, to do something; but she ended up staying put. She highly doubted her fencing skills would be of any use in a battle, and anyway, she had no wish to fight her own people. Not to mention the fact that Hyrule would surely use any injuries she received as an excuse to further attack the Gerudo.

Slowly, the steady beating of drums grew louder; the sound of the Hylian army drew ever closer, and she thought she would go mad, waiting in her little room with no vantage point from which to ascertain what was going on. It took hours for Hyrule to do anything, apparently, and she ended up waiting all night for something to change; it was dawn before anything did happen. There seemed to be something of a standoff happening; Zelda hoped and prayed to every deity she could think of that Ganondorf was negotiating, that Hyrule was willing to listen. She’d all but convinced herself to leave her rooms, to hand herself over before anyone got hurt when the fighting started. Hylian soldiers poured through the streets, engaging the Gerudo warriors into combat; despite how fundamentally wrong it felt for a woman to fight in such a manner, she had to admit the Gerudo were evenly matched.

What followed were several hours of utter torture as she watched battle and bloodshed from both Kingdoms in the street. Her panic was increasing; these men and women were losing their lives because of her. She ought to surrender, to stop the madness.

Abruptly, she was aware of a small battalion of Hylian soldiers moving slowly down the street, deflecting the attacks of Gerudo women in favour of entering and leaving each apartment. Zelda’s eyes widened in horror as she realised just what exactly was happening; they were checking every apartment, and when they came in, she would be found. A sudden fear of being discovered overtook her – the realisation that if she allowed herself to be taken she would likely never see Ganondorf again spurred her on, and she darted across the room intending to hide, but it was too late. The first of the soldiers shoved their way through the curtain, and at their shout of recognition, the rest of the men crammed their way inside. Zelda stared, wide eyed for a moment, then pulled herself together, straightening and putting her mask back on, letting the men see only the calm polished façade of the princess, and not the turmoil within.

She could see now what had to be done. This required a sacrifice. Far too many soldiers and warriors had fallen already, and she refused to be the cause of anymore bloodshed. This would break her heart, true, and possibly Ganondorf’s too, but she had a responsibility to end the fight if she could. Therefore, she’d let them take her back to Hyrule, and she’d marry Caenar, if only to save Ganondorf’s people.

“Princess!” Said the man who was clearly in charge of the small group. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “No, I am fine. Tell me, what’s happening?”

“Hyrule is winning.” The lieutenant said, a note of glee evident in his voice. “We’re going to stomp these miserable Gerudo into the ground for stealing our princess.”

Zelda bit her lips slightly, unsure of what to say next. These men were clearly still under the impression that she’d been abducted… maybe Cabo’s words hadn’t trickled down into all corners of the Hylian army just yet. In any case, it would take too long to explain. “Oh…” she said faintly. “Well, I am glad you have come.” Lying through her teeth to her own people. Who would have thought it? “What is the plan now?”

“We’re here to get you out and back to Hyrule, while the rest of the army stays and…”

“No!” Her cry interrupted the man, and as they stared confusedly at her, she realised she’d made a grave mistake. “I mean, I want the whole army to retreat as soon as possible.” Zelda struggled to come up with a plausible reason. “Any men whose lives that have been lost today did so on my account; their blood is on my hands, and I refuse to have anymore than that which already stains me. Once I’m out of the fortress, Lieutenant, I want orders sent to _retreat_. Leave the Gerudo be; they have not harmed me. They have suffered heavy losses, and they will not try this again.”

Zelda could tell the lieutenant wasn’t really all that impressed by her words, so she stepped forwards, keenly aware of the multiple gazes fastened onto her midsection, bared as it was by her Gerudo clothing. “I am the Princess, Lieutenant. I _have_ Wisdom. I can _see_ the losses we will suffer if we continue with this; the Gerudo will fight until the last woman – it is their nature, and they will not let us destroy them without taking a good chunk of us with them.”

The lieutenant frowned slightly, then, blessedly, he nodded. “Very well, Princess.” He said. “I will send your message to the General once you are safe.” He made a motion with his hand, and suddenly, she was surrounded by men, weapons drawn. The lieutenant was by her side, speaking in a low tone. “We’re going to lead you out and to the walls, Princess. There’s an armoured carriage there waiting to take you back to Hyrule. We just need to wait and see if the Captain-”

Her blood ran cold. “The _Captain?”_ She gasped. “Link isn’t here, is he?”

“He is, your Highness, of course he is. He’s hunting down the Gerudo King right now.”

Panic washed through her, and then the soldiers hustled her out the door.

Blood soaked into her shoes as she ran down the street, keeping pace with the soldiers as they ran in perfect formation around her. They passed multiple corpses of both genders, and she saw a Gerudo woman gutting a Hylian soldier as they passed, and then, a little further on, three soldiers ganging up on a Gerudo woman whose back was pressed against the wall, four of her sisters dashing to save her before the Hylian’s killed her. Zelda was unaware of this woman’s fate, for her attention was stolen by a Hylian shout.

“Look there!” He yelled, and everyone in the vicinity instinctively did just that. Zelda’s heart leaped into her throat the second she realised what she was looking at; Ganondorf and Link were on the roof – and they were fighting to the death.

The Gerudo King cut an impressive figure against the sun as his blades flashed, smashing against the hero’s with a force that would undo any other man, but unhappily for her, Link could hold his own. The battles on the ground came to a standstill, each side cheering their respective leader on, all but Zelda. She didn’t want Link to die, of course – he was genuinely one of her favourite people at court, having taken on the duty of teaching her to defend herself while ignoring her father’s disapproval, but if the alternative was that Ganondorf would die in his stead… Her hands clenched desperately in the fabric of her top, eying the distance to the roof and wondering if tyring to get up there would stop the fight, but she doubted it.

This was a battle of destiny, and there was no stopping it now.

The Hylian’s gasped as Link took a blow to the shoulder, dropping to one knee briefly as bright crimson oozed out to stain his green tunic red; Ganondorf, instead of landing the killing blow, paused, no doubt to make some cutting remark that they could not hear from such a distance. The Hero lurched back to his feet, and Zelda trembled in fear for both men; it was clear that rather than dissuading him, Link’s injury only gave him more purpose as he renewed his attack.

The fight closely resembled a dance; these two men perfectly in tune with each other as they whirled and spun, launching themselves forwards then throwing themselves back, sometimes dodging, sometimes taking a blow, at all times the deadly weapons they wielded missing each other by a hair. They fell back, circling each other menacingly, clearly assessing the other and trying to determine a weak spot; and then Ganondorf’s eyes met hers, and his golden gaze widened in recognition. At that exact moment, Link attacked, and caught off guard, the Gerudo King staggered.

And then Ganondorf, the man she loved, teetered on the edge of the roof. His face released the ugly scowl of concentration, becoming almost childlike in peaceful abandon as his hand dropped from the hilt of the blade piercing his chest, and he fell.

A wordless scream left her mouth as she watched his body impact the ground; he did not move again, a last groan escaping his mouth through the sudden silence that fell as all who surrounded the fallen King stilled their actions and fell silent. All watched the steady spread of crimson as his hands, which had still been gripping the hilts of his blades, fell limply to lie in the growing pool of his own blood, his eyes becoming glassy and still, the sky clearly reflected in their once vivid golden depths.


	6. It's not What it Seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Ganondorf's death at the hands of the Hero of Courage, Zelda resigns herself to being taken back to Hyrule and becoming King Caenar's wife. However, not all is as it seems...

The trip back to Hyrule was uneventful enough. Zelda felt numb, and simply lay there in the carriage, clutching a cushion to her belly and refusing to speak, as the soldiers who were escorting her back to the castle as well as Link looked on in worry. She didn’t know where the rest of the army was, and she didn’t much care. Were they still besieging the fortress? Or had they listened to her wishes and abandoned their efforts once they’d successfully killed the King and retrieved their princess? Because he was dead, she could say that with certainty. No man, no matter how great, could survive a fall from that height, to say nothing of the wound in his chest. Zelda had seen the blankness of his eyes before the Hylian soldiers had borne her away, had seen his lifeblood soaking into the ground; he’d lost too much to recover from.

_Dead. He’s dead._

She would never see him again. The very thought made her feel sick. She could have borne it, Zelda suspected, having to marry Caenar and yet knowing that Ganondorf was alive, free to continue his own life, but this? _She_ had run away, _she_ had gone to the desert; this was her fault. Ganondorf was dead by her hand. How could this have happened? Why had her father attacked the Gerudo? How could he do this to her? The longer she lay there in silence, picturing the moment of her lover’s death over and over until she thought she would scream, the more and more her thoughts turned to hatred. _Of her father._ This was his fault. Ganondorf was dead, and her father was responsible. In the darkness, Zelda seethed.

Finally, after an amount of time that might have been days or might have been hours – she didn’t pay much attention – the carriage rolled to a stop outside the castle steps. There was a great flurry of activity, and Zelda lay there, unable to bother getting up. The carriage door opened, and Link stood there. His eyes were sympathetic.

“Princess?” He asked. Zelda stared at him. He was the one who’d killed Ganondorf. He was the one with blood on his hands. _His fault._

No. Her father had ordered it; no doubt Link was entirely ignorant. He would have just been carrying out his orders, and his destiny. It wasn’t his fault he was the bearer of Courage.

Slowly, stiffly, Zelda sat up, and with Link’s assistance, climbed out of the carriage. She still wore her Gerudo clothing, stained with dust and blood, and could see people staring at her. Her father and mother appeared at the top of the stairs.

The Queen tore down the steps as fast as her legs could carry her, and enveloped her in a massive hug.

“Zelda!” She cried, tears already forming.

Feeling her own emotions threatening to take over, Zelda buried her face in the floral scented gown of her mother, holding on tight as a sob escaped.

“Oh sweetheart.” Her mamma got out through her tears, stroking her hair soothingly. “You’re safe now.”

That only made her feel worse.

She was immediately taken to her rooms, where a small army of maids stripped her out of her Gerudo clothing, assuring her they would be burned, and soaped and scrubbed her until there was not one trace of the desert left on her. Nothing but her ring. Zelda refused to take it off under any circumstances, and although she knew her maids were sneaking covert glances at it, she would not part from it. _Not ever._

Once bathed, she went to bed. Zelda existed in this fashion for three days, not leaving her rooms, just eating, sleeping, and crying whenever she was alone, watching her hands shake and surmising that she was in shock. Of course, she wasn’t actually in shock past the first day, but that served as her excuse to stay in her rooms. It was expected here that she would be weak, and she exploited it. It was on the fourth day that a maid appeared and informed her that her father had summoned her to his study, and so she had no choice. She had to get up and let her maids dress her, style her hair, and carefully position her diadem on her head. She was escorted to her father’s study by a footman, who knocked on the door as she stood there twisting her ring anxiously.

“Enter.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the sound of her father’s voice. The door opened, the footman bowed, and she walked inside, only to pull up short. Seated besides her father was King Caenar. She hadn’t even known he was in the country.

Zelda curtsied silently.

“Sit down, Zelda my dear.” Her father’s voice awakened some of the anger she felt, and right then she knew she wouldn’t be able to say a single word to him, not without losing her head completely.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

She just sat there and looked at him. The silence dragged on, and Jonotan and Caenar exchanged uncomfortable glances.

“Princess Zelda.” Tried Caenar. “I am glad to see you returned safe.”

She looked at this middle aged balding man, and felt nothing but revulsion. She wanted Ganondorf. But she’d never have him. Never again.

So, she simply looked at the King in silence.

“Zelda.” Said her father sharply. “Answer me.”

 _No_.

After long, agonising minutes, Zelda wasn’t even pretending to pay attention anymore, simply twisting her ring on her finger.

“Is that a wedding ring?” Caenar asked suddenly. Zelda’s head snapped up to stare at him. Both the foreign King and her father were staring at the ring. She felt a flash of vitriol flow through her. Why not tell they she had married? Perhaps it would scare Caenar off. Why not let them know the pain she felt?

“Yes.” She whispered.

Jonotan looked outraged. “You’re _married?_ To whom?” He answered his own question. “ _Dragmire_.”

Pain flowed through her, and she nodded.

“How dare he!” Shouted her father. “How dare that barbarian force himself upon my daughter!” He advanced upon her, hand out. “Give me the ring, Zelda. It will be destroyed.”

Her eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head, holding her hand tightly to her chest.

“No!”

He looked even angrier. “Don’t defy me, girl. Give me the ring.”

She shook her head again.

“Zelda. Give it to me.”

Caenar spoke up. “Princess.” He said, a note of concern in his voice. “Did he… he didn’t _force_ you to marry him, did he?”

She didn’t answer, simply shook her head.

Caenar looked rather stunned, her father furious. “You _chose_ to marry him?”

She bit her lip and nodded.

Caenar frowned. “But he is dead now, is he not? Didn’t your Captain slay him?”

Zelda closed her eyes and tipped her head back, attempting to stifle her sob.

Her father sounded unperturbed when he spoke. “Well, even if the marriage is valid, you’re a widow now.” He turned to Caenar with a raised brow. “You have every right to refuse her now, of course.”

 _That did it._ She shot to her feet. “How dare you.” She hissed. “What about me? What about what I want? You never asked me once what I wanted. Now, it’s up to him?” She jerked her head in Caenar’s direction. “Because I’m no longer _pure?”_

Jonotan looked startled, then cold. “No. You don’t have a choice. You are my daughter, and you’ll do as I say.”

Zelda stared in disbelief. “And you wonder why I left.” She shook her head angrily and turned to the door. “This is _your fault.”_

With that, she left, ignoring her father’s demands that she return and apologise. Zelda locked herself in her room and paced for hours, refusing to go down to dinner, or to open the doors to anyone, even her maids. Eventually, there was a knock at her door.

“Zelda?” It was her mother.

“Mamma?” She answered.

“Will you open the door, sweetpea? Your father told me… what happened.”

Zelda bit her lip and deliberated for a moment, but opened the door.

Her mother held both her hands in hers for a moment, then led her to her bed.

“Now. Your father tells me you were married to the Gerudo King?” She asked.

Zelda nodded, and held out her ring. “I was. Mamma, Papa believes I was forced, but… I wasn’t.”

Queen Irania regarded her with a sympathetic look in her eye. “Did you love him, Zelda?”

Zelda nodded and started crying into her hands, then toppled over with her head in her mother’s lap. Her mamma stroked her back soothingly.

“Don’t cry, sweetie.” She whispered. “You must be brave.”

“Papa’s going to make me marry King Caenar.” Zelda sobbed. “I don’t _want_ to.”

“You must bear it, my dear.”

Sitting up, Zelda hiccupped slightly as she tried to control herself. She looked at her mother; calm, placid and retiring. Irania never raised her voice, never complained, never went against the wishes of her husband. The Queen seemed to guess what she was thinking.

“Let me tell you something, dearheart. There once was a time when I loved another man. I still do, in my heart.” She said with a small, wry smile. “But my father had already arranged my marriage. I cried for days when I found out, and I tried everything I could think of to call the wedding off and find the man I wanted to marry. But I did not succeed.” She smiled sadly. “I was married to your father, and for a time I was very unhappy. But then, I was gifted with a beautiful daughter, and I found life to be much more agreeable when I didn’t complain. How could I? I am a Queen, and I want for nothing. My dear, I know this marriage sounds horrible now, but I really think you must be brave and bear it. I cannot dissuade your father from his plans, and though I hate to say it, you have little other choice.”

The Queen patted her cheek softly. “Try to get some rest, dear. I’ll see you in the morning.”

With that, she left the room. Zelda immediately locked the door behind her, then went and sat on the sill of one of the windows, twisting her ring. She could feel tears welling again. It wasn’t fair. How could the Goddesses give her such love, then snatch it away? It was cruel, truly cruel. And now she would have to marry Caenar. A shiver of revulsion ran over her skin.

“Zelda.”

She froze. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.

Turning her head, Zelda stared, quite unable to do anything else. A figure was perched on the windowsill at the opposite end of the room. A familiar, massive figure that moved with easy grace as he climbed into her bedchamber. _Ganondorf_.

Zelda forced herself to move. Climbing down from her window, she stood and stared for a moment, wondering if she’d gone insane. She blinked hard.

“Am I… dreaming?”

He grinned, then started towards her. “No, you’re not.”

The sound of his voice propelled her forwards. She half ran, half staggered across the room and into his arms. _He was real_. Real, solid and warm. The tears started then, and she couldn’t stop them even if she’d tried as he lifted her into the air and she sobbed into his neck.

“You’re alive?” She cried, unable to get much more out through her tears. Ganondorf rubbed her back soothingly. “ _Ganondorf_.” She half moaned his name, her voice breaking, trying to comprehend how he was here – he _couldn’t_ be here, she’d seen him impaled on a blade, seen him fall. _Seen him die_. Yet somehow he was here, in her bedchamber, alive.

“I’m fine, Zelda.” He whispered, his voice rough. “I’m alive, and I’m here now.”

Ganondorf held his princess tightly in his arms, luxuriating in the simple act of holding her even as she cried. Realising she wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, he carried her over to her bed, sitting down and pulling her into his lap, waiting for her tears to slow. He had to admit, however, that as upset as she was, and as angry as he was with the world for allowing this to happen, tucked away in the back of his mind as a small voice that was really rather enjoying her reaction. It was proof of her affection for him, her _love_ ; Ganondorf tried to ignore the voice, but he couldn’t deny he liked it.

He stroked her hair softly, waiting for her to calm down, and played with the delicate lace of her nightgown. Zelda clung to him like a limpet as she sobbed, shoulders shaking, her nails digging into his back. And then she pulled back, pushing his cloak over his shoulders and parting his vest, her fingers trailing over his chest; looking for a wound that wasn’t there. She looked up at him, confusion clearly written on her features.

“I don’t – understand.” She said shakily. “I saw you – _how?”_

Ganondorf took one of her hands from his chest and kissed her knuckles lightly, considering her carefully as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Zelda’s eyes and nose were red and tear tracks stained her cheeks; she looked like she’d start crying again at any moment. “I had a plan to get Hyrule out of the desert, Zelda. It –well, it went right, but it also went wrong. You were supposed to know that I hadn’t been killed; once I realised you didn’t know I tried to go after you, but Hyrule’s armies were still attacking my people. The only reason I wasn’t here sooner is because we had soldiers to drive out of our lands.”

Zelda reached up, tracing her fingers over his face as if she were trying to assure herself he was real. She shook her head. “It’s not possible. How are you here?”

Ganondorf grinned at her. “Such little faith you have in me.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “Don’t joke. Not now.” Her voice wavered dangerously. “I thought you were _dead_.”

His smile faded, and he nodded seriously. “We had a plan.” He said. “My death would be faked, to get the hero out of there. He was the real issue, our biggest problem. You saw it?”

Zelda’s face crumpled and she nodded, burying her head in his chest again. He waited for her to compose herself and pull back again.

“It wasn’t me.” Ganondorf grinned at her look of confusion. “The Twinrova used their magic - they created an illusion, a _fake_ me that we used to bait the hero while I hid until the second part of the plan came into action. Link was supposed to kill the illusion, to take him off his guard and then we’d launch the second wave of the attack. I didn’t know you were there – I thought you were still in your rooms. I was coordinating the movements of my warriors when Tovusa ran in and said the hero had taken you.” He glared, momentarily furious, both at her and the hero. “Why didn’t you stay put?”

She shook her head tearfully. “The soldiers; they were searching the rooms. They grabbed me and made me go with them to the gates; it was on the way there that I saw Link and…” She trailed off. “It really wasn’t you?”

“It really wasn’t.” He said firmly. “What happened next?”

“We – we watched you… fall.” Zelda said quietly. “Then Link came over and he and that group of soldiers took me out of the fortress and then we were off. Back to Hyrule. Link told me he was under orders to kill you or get me out. Whichever came first.”

Ganondorf was silent under the rage that was brewing. He wanted very much to go and surprise Link, but he also wanted – no, _needed_ – to stay with Zelda. “ _Why?”_ He growled. “I thought Cabo would have told them you were not in danger. Are they so ready to disregard your word?”

She looked a little confused. “I don’t know.” She said, frowning. “From what Link said… he seemed to be under the impression that I’d been kidnapped. Maybe… maybe Cabo didn’t tell his story very well?”

“Hmm.” Ganondorf had a fair suspicion of what had happened, but as of right now, it could wait. “I don’t know either. But that’s not important at the moment.”

Zelda gave him a tremulous smile, then took one of his hands in both of hers. “I can’t believe it.” She said shakily. “You’re _here_.”

“I’m here.” He said firmly, brushing his knuckles over her cheek. “And I don’t intend to leave you again. It’s been killing me these last few days, knowing that you’d been taken back to Hyrule without knowing.”

She leaned her head against his chest. “I honestly can’t believe it. The worst four days of my life, and now I find out it wasn’t even real.” Her voice broke at the end of her sentence.

“I’m sorry, Zelda.” He breathed against her hair. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“ _Worry_ me?” She pulled back to stare at him, then wiped her cheeks. “Just… promise me you won’t ever do that again.”

He snickered slightly. “I promise.”

Zelda frowned then. “But… how did you get up here? The guards… did anybody see you?”

He shook his head. “No. I _am_ capable of stealth, you know.”

“But how did you know where my rooms were?”

Ganondorf laughed. “That was difficult.” He allowed. “My plan was to get into the castle, then either wander about until I found you, or threaten someone into telling me where your rooms were. Luckily for me, I was just coming across the grounds when I happened to look up. I saw you standing at the window, and I climbed the ivy.” He grinned at the smile on her face. “That was a nerve wracking experience, I must say. I’m fairly heavy – I thought the ivy was going to give way at any moment.”

“But you made it.” Zelda’s voice was low but fervent, and he stilled at the intensity shining in her eyes.

“I did.”

She laid a hand on his cheek. “So… what now?”

Ganondorf raised a brow. “Are you that eager to get rid of me?”

Zelda stared at the Gerudo King, slightly baffled. “No!” The word left her mouth before she could stop it, and then she flushed slightly, looking away. “Do you… want to go?”

He sighed disgustedly. “I just got here. No, I don’t _intend_ to go.”

She frowned at the inflection in his voice. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I don’t intend to go, but I will… if you want me too.”

Zelda stared at him, open-mouthed. “Why would I want you to go?” She whispered. “For Farore’s sake, you’ve only been _not dead_ for five bloody minutes!”

Ganondorf smiled. “I am glad to hear it.” He picked up her left hand and looked at her ring. “You’re still wearing it.”

She managed a weak chuckle. “Not for long, if Papa has anything to do with it.”

A scowl appeared on his face, and he looked quite angry. “What do you mean? What’s he done?”

Tears welled once more, and Zelda looked down, twisting the ring. “He tried to take it – he said he’d destroy it.”  
_“What?_ Why?”

She shook her head and buried her face in his chest again. “He knows. About you. I mean, I may have – I – they kind of surmised that we were already married, and… I didn’t bother to correct them. He’s – _angry_ , that I’m no longer pure. For Caenar.”

Ganondorf was silent for a moment. “Of all the ridiculous-” He huffed. “-not _pure?_ I will take his _purity_ and shove it up his-”

“He’s asked Caenar if he still wants me, even if I am a widow – even if I’m… not a virgin.” She interrupted. “I’ll find out tomorrow if I am to be married or not.”

He growled low in his throat. “What will you do?”

“Up until five minutes ago I was going to agree. I was going to be miserable for the rest of my life, but now-” Zelda let her fingers trail over his face. “-it’s up to you.”

Ganondorf pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. “I would take you away, right now if I could. Back to the desert. Would you go?”

“I would.” Zelda pressed herself as close as possible. “Of course I would.”

His golden eyes grew dark, and he kissed her softly. Zelda slid her hands into his hair as his arms tightened around her, feeling safe and content. Her future was uncertain, but in this moment all was right with the world.

“Then it’s settled.” Ganondorf said confidently as he pulled back, brushing his lips over her forehead briefly. “You’ll come back to the desert with me.”

“But how?” She asked, seeing the flaw in the plan. “If we leave now, Papa will come looking for me again.”

Ganondorf nodded thoughtfully, and then a wicked grin spread slowly across his features. “It’s really quite simple, _sa Éshi_.”

She smiled up at him. _“Éshi?”_

His lips twitched. “Do you object? You are descended from a goddess, may I not call you by that name?”

Zelda blushed slightly. “No, it’s all right. I just… I liked the other thing you call me better.” Her voice dropped to a very embarrassed whisper.

Ganondorf looked amused, and then he lay down and rolled them over, pressing her into the bed as he pressed a burning kiss to the hollow of her throat. “And what might that be, eh? _Sa mewadala_ perhaps?”

She giggled then gasped as his tongue did interesting things against her skin. “I’m not a desert flower.”

“No? How about _sa buzhut zi?_ It suits you, I think.”

“Papa would certainly agree to that description. _Stolen one_ , indeed.”

“It’s an apt name.”

“Perhaps.” She pulled his head up so her lips were a scant inch from his. “For you’ve certainly stolen my heart.”

Ganondorf groaned and kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue past her lips. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, his voice rough and deep. “You’re right.” He said hoarsely. “For I fear you have stolen mine as well.”

She felt warmth flood through her, and cupped his cheek with her hand. A speculative light entered his eyes then. “But I still haven’t guessed.” He said cheekily, dragging his fangs lightly down her throat. _“Vés zi?” Beautiful one._

“No.” She gasped, squirming beneath his ministrations. “But you’re close.”

He frowned confusedly for a moment, and then his brow cleared. _“_ How about _sa sunli zi?”_

Zelda just barely managed to nod. “Yes, that’s it.” His eyes brightened, and he laved at the hollow of her throat, making her moan slightly.

“ _My lovely one.”_ He repeated the words in Hylian. “Why do you like that one best?”

“I don’t know. It just sounds nice. I like it.”

Ganondorf looked very pleased with himself as he went to kiss her again. Knowing she’d end up befuddled again, Zelda halted him before he could.   
“Wait a moment. You’re getting distracted; you said you had a plan?”

Nodding seriously, he pulled them both upright, and Zelda climbed into his lap, determined to spend as much time skin to skin as possible. After losing him like that, she wasn’t going to give up on her second chance that easily.

“Like I said, it’s very simple.” He picked up her hand, playing with her ring. “Hylian’s say that a husband owns his wife? Very well. I will claim mine.”

Zelda stared at him. It was such a simple idea, but… it would work. “We’d have to show proof of the marriage, but… I think it would work. Papa would have no choice but to accept it.”

“What constitutes proof?”

“Well, marriage papers, for one thing. Witnesses of the wedding itself. Um…” She turned pink and trailed off. The last point she didn’t think she could actually say out loud.

“Um?” He asked curiously.

She looked at her toes. “Nothing. I mean, it won’t apply, so…”

“Zelda.”

She sighed. “The sheets. From the marital bed.” She dropped her voice to a very embarrassed whisper. “For the… _blood_.”

Ganondorf frowned at her, looking confused. “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately.” She sighed. “It’s definite proof of consummation. It happens if there is a particular… _unwillingness_ on the side of either party to consummate the marriage.”

He looked unimpressed. “Hylian’s.” He said with a snort. “You resort to the strangest methods.”  
“Maybe so.” She said. “But enough of that. Right now, we’ve only this ring and our word. I’m not sure if Papa will let it go quite so easily.”

“Mmm.” Ganondorf nodded thoughtfully. “I will request an audience with him tomorrow.”

Zelda stared. “What- you’re just going to waltz in and ask for one? I really don’t even know if you’d get two steps without being surrounded by guards.”

He rolled his eyes. “They’ll let me in.” He sounded so sure of himself that Zelda decided not to question it.

“But wait – tell me about the desert – please say that not too many people were hurt.”

Ganondorf stilled, and it seemed like a fire lying dormant at the back of his eyes suddenly sprang blazing to life.

“Quite a number of my sisters have been lost.” He said slowly, rage evident in his voice. “My sisters – the ones that have survived – are tending the wounded and preparing the dead for their death rites.” He frowned slightly. “I am missing the proper rituals by being here.”

Zelda laid a hand along his cheek. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. “You ought to have stayed, you shouldn’t have left on my account-”

Ganondorf interrupted with a harsh laugh. “Shouldn’t I? I wanted to, and I have, so let us say no more about it.”

They talked for a little while longer, and then it was decided – Zelda would go about her day as usual while Ganondorf sought his audience with the King. After that, hopefully it would go well, and they could return to the desert. So naturally, the complete opposite of that happened. When Ganondorf brought up the fact he should probably leave, it turned into many exclamations of ‘just a few minutes longer’, up until the point they both fell asleep. In Zelda’s bed. Where, come morning, her maids found them.

The Hylian maids were the shy, retiring type, and when confronted with an unfamiliar mountain of a man asleep in the princess’s bed, they did what any other sane maid would do in that situation; they fled back down the servants stairs as quickly and silently as possible, and called the guards, who informed the King, who flew down the corridor armed with Link and a small battalion of castle guards. They filed into her bedchamber silently, both Zelda and Ganondorf still fast asleep and blissfully unaware of the fact that they’d been caught.

The first thing Zelda became aware of was that someone was shaking her shoulder. She wrinkled her nose, still half asleep, and turned her head, cuddling up to the firm hunk of male flesh besides her. After another moment, her shoulder was shaken again, and Zelda rather abruptly realised that Ganondorf was still asleep, and that meant… someone else was shaking her. She shot up in bed, and her mouth dropped open in horror as she beheld her father, Link, and roughly fifteen soldiers clustered around her bedchamber.

There was a sort of silent stand off for a few moments, during which no one spoke or moved. Then, Zelda quickly elbowed Ganondorf awake. It took him a few seconds, and then he sat upright, and to her utter incredulity, he looked amused.

“Well.” He said in Gerudo. “This is a fine kettle of fish.”

Zelda nodded, and replied in the same language. “Well, you’re not wrong.”

Her attention turned to her father, who was standing directly by the bed, having been the one who shook her awake. By now, he was an interesting shade of red.

“Papa….” She began nervously.

The King looked like he was going to explode. “Would you care to explain exactly what is going on here?”

She swallowed hard, and decided to tell the truth. “I am well within my rights to share a bed with my husband. I might ask why you are all in here instead. This is quite the invasion of my privacy.” She said bluntly.

Jonotan turned purple, and there were some hushed snickers coming from the assembled guards. Link was still staring at Ganondorf, mouth slightly agape, looking utterly bewildered. It must be strange for him, she thought absently, to suddenly come face to face with the man he was destined to fight for eternity, while being under the impression that he’d already killed him. Ganondorf had his eyes narrowed as he stared back at the captain, and Zelda sighed. This could get messy. She climbed out of bed, thanking the Goddesses above that she was clothed and took her father by the arm, leading him into the next room. “We need to talk, Papa.” She said firmly, shooting a warning glance over her shoulder at Ganondorf, attempting to tell him to stay put with her eyes.

The Gerudo King had gotten out of bed, making the guards in the room shrink back slightly, for his tall and imposing frame looked quite a bit larger standing up than he did sitting down. None of them lowered their weapons.

“Behave.” She hissed in Gerudo, and Ganondorf rolled his eyes as she shut the door.

There was an awkward silence as Ganondorf stared at the assembled guards. And Link. He frowned at the hero of Courage, who still looked quite astonished. Then, the hero spoke.

“How are you alive?” He asked suspiciously, quite clearly taking advantage of the absence of his King.

Ganondorf grinned and folded his arms. “Wouldn’t you like to know?

“I stabbed you.”

Figuring it was best to leave the specifics out of things, Ganondorf half nodded, half shrugged. “Maybe you’re losing your touch.”

The hero looked offended, and looked down at his blade. “Do you think?” Ganondorf had to stifle a chuckle. The rest of the guards looked increasingly nervous, and shifted slightly as he took one step forwards, then another. Smirking, he leaned against the frame of the four-poster bed.

“What are you doing in Hyrule? In the Princess’s bedchambers, of all places?” Asked Link, looking even more suspicious. Eyeing his old foe in curiosity, Ganondorf decided that it wouldn’t hurt to continue this almost civil conversation.

“I’m here to take my wife home.” He said, smirking at the looks on the guard’s faces. Zelda had said she’d told her father they were already married, so it wouldn’t hurt to continue the lie. Link’s face in particular looked horrified, and then sad, and then… resigned. _Curious_. He leaned a little bit more firmly against the bedpost, and opened his mouth to speak again when the bedpost creaked, groaned, and broke. It snapped at the base, like a toppled tree, and Ganondorf flailed ridiculously for a moment, attempting to keep his balance. He turned around and shot a startled look at the guards, then glared at the broken bed, wondering exactly how he was going to explain this to Zelda.

“That was not supposed to happen.” He mumbled under his breath, and picked up the post, attempting to see if the jagged edges would slot back into place and disguise the break. It did; for all of three seconds, and then it promptly toppled over again. He stared at the post for a few moments longer, then pulled the blanket over it, nodding happily at this fix. He turned back to the guards, many of who were grinning.

“I, uh, I found it like that.” He said, folding his arms again. This prompted a few snickers.

Link was smirking too. “The Princess is going to see that.”

Ganondorf nodded. “Quite possibly. And I will tell her-” He pointed at a random guard. “-he broke it.”

The guard paled and looked to the hero for help. Link rolled his eyes.

“I’m fairly sure the princess will see through that.”

“Possibly.” He said, unperturbed.

There was an awkward silence, during which he smirked at the guards and did his level best to appear nonchalant and at ease; when in reality he was fully prepared to defend himself should the hero decide to be exactly that.

Rather abruptly, Link sheathed his weapon. After a few nervous moments, most of the guards followed suite.

Ganondorf raised a curious brow, and the hero shrugged.

“I don’t think the Princess approves of us having weapons drawn in her bedchamber.” He said dryly, and Ganondorf felt his lips twitch up into half a grin.

“Good choice.” He said. “Keep in mind, though, that she’s no longer merely a Princess. She is my wife. She’s Queen of the Gerudo.”

The hero’s eyes widened, then narrowed slightly, a brief downturn of the mouth barely visible. “Of course. My apologies, Sire.” That was interesting, and quite welcome. Ganondorf inclined his head.

The silence devolved back into awkwardness; when at length the door opened and Zelda and the King emerged, every other man in the room straightened with visible relief. The Princess crossed to Ganondorf’s side to touch his arm and smile up at him, but the King made an angry noise and stormed from the room, leaving Link and the other guards looking a little confused and out of place.

“Uh… we’ll just go, your Majesties…” Said Link carefully, then bowed in Zelda’s direction before he and his guards shuffled out the door.

Ganondorf smirked down at her. “Well? What did he say?”

Zelda grinned back. “Papa has… more or less accepted it. It took some pretty intense arguing, but I convinced him of the truth. He’s going down to the throne room now, so make yourself presentable; you get to meet King Caenar. Papa’s gone to break the news that I won’t be Queen of Labrynna after all.” She paused, a smile twisting her lips. “Papa’s not very happy.”

She moved off, rummaging through her wardrobe. Ganondorf wasn’t quite so easily convinced. “You’re sure he’s accepted it?”

“Yes.” She called over her shoulder. “I mean, he has no choice.”

“Hmm.” Ganondorf rubbed the back of his neck. “Zelda, when you said ‘make myself presentable’, what exactly did you mean?”

She turned around. “You don’t have any other clothes with you, do you?”

“No.”

That was how he ended going to meet with two Kings, a Queen, and the Captain of the guard with _his_ Queen by his side; dressed in bloodstained armour. His first impression of the Throne Room was that it hadn’t changed since the last time he’d been there; he did a double take at the gilded chairs lining the walls. They were exactly the same as the ones that had been there last time he was in this room.

Zelda frowned at her husband-to-be as he completely ignored the others in the room in favour of staring at some chairs.

“What?” She whispered.

“Have those chairs even been moved? Cleaned, even?” He asked. “ _Ever?”_

She felt confused, and the looks on the faces of her parents and King Caenar echoed that sentiment. “What? What does that have to do with anything?”

He shrugged. “Nothing really.” A curious smirk crossed his face. “It’s just they’re in the exact same place as they were last time I was here.”

“What does that signify?” Snapped Jonotan irritably.

Zelda watched Ganondorf’s smirk twist into a darker shade. “I’ve not been here in over a century.” He pointed at the chairs. “Those chairs are in the exact same place as they were then.” He stroked his beard, watching the chairs with an intrigued look on his face. “The exact same place.” He mumbled. Zelda raised a brow and touched his arm, pulling him out of the past.

“Ganondorf.” She said brightly, a fake smile pasted on her lips. “May I introduce His Royal Majesty King Caenar of Labrynna?” She waited until Ganondorf had inclined his head, then turned back to the Labrynnian King. “King Caenar, His Majesty King Ganondorf of the Gerudo.”

King Caenar bowed. “I am pleased to meet you at last, your Majesty. I’ve heard much of you.”

Before Ganondorf could reply, Link entered the room, bowing sharply to all and moving to stand at the right hand side of the King. The room was silent for a few moments, the awkwardness palatable. Jonotan was glaring particularly hard, and Ganondorf amused himself by smirking back at the man until he thought Zelda’s father might actually explode.

The Queen of Hyrule looked around with her brows raised, evidently wondering what her daughter was doing standing next to him.

“Zelda.” She asked quietly. “What’s going on?”

“Well…” Said Zelda, drawing out the word. “Up until last night I was under the impression that I was a widow…” She motioned at him, and he grinned. “But as it turns out, I’m not.”

The Queen blinked. “Oh.” Was all she said as her husband scoffed. King Caenar was looking politely bewildered, and then he stood up.

“Princess Zelda, I wonder if I might have a brief word?”

Zelda nodded. “Of course.”

She and the Labrynnian King left the room together, leaving him standing there alone with a confused Queen, a baffled captain of the guard, and a distinctly unimpressed King.

Jonotan immediately rounded on the hero. “I thought you said he’d been killed!”

Link threw his hands in the air. “I thought he had!” He blustered, until he realised where he was and whom he was speaking too. “My apologies, your Majesty.” He shuffled his feet somewhat awkwardly.

The King of Hyrule glared at the Gerudo male. “You look like you are enjoying yourself.” He seethed.

Ganondorf grinned. “I am, rather.”

“How did you do it?” He asked mulishly. “How on _earth_ did you convince her to marry you after you kidnapped her?”

He raised a brow. “I didn’t kidnap her.”

Jonotan rolled his eyes. “Are you going to play innocent, now?”

He folded his arms. “Well, seeing as I’m not guilty of anything…” Ganondorf trailed off. “I can tell you won’t believe what I say. Ask Zelda, when she gets back. She’ll tell you the truth.”

“I will.” Said Jonotan peevishly. “ _I will_.”

Ganondorf could see the Queen side-eyeing her husband, and stifled his smirk; the man was embarrassing his wife with his childish behaviour.

Several long, uncomfortable minutes passed before Zelda and Caenar reappeared. The Labrynnian King inclined his head to the room at large.

“As it happens, I’m rather pleased at this development.” Jonotan looked rather bug-eyed, and Caenar held up a placating hand. “I’ve always been uncomfortable at the idea of marrying a girl younger than my own daughters – King Jonotan, I hope you won’t be offended by that.” The Labrynnian nodded slightly, giving a wry smile. “I understand the situation perfectly, and as I rather think it works out to everyone’s advantage, and as this is something of a personal discussion, I’ll take my leave now.” He said, turning back towards Jonotan. “I should like to speak with you later, if that’s all right?”

Jonotan nodded peevishly. “Yes, yes, that’s fine.”

Caenar bowed slightly. “Princess, I wish you and your husband all the best.”

After King Caenar had left the room, the Hylian King started in on his questions.

“Why have you done this, Zelda?” He asked.

Zelda rolled her eyes. “If you’d listened to me in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.” She said, then paused. “Though of course now I am rather glad you didn’t.” She turned to him with a smile, and Ganondorf grinned back.

Jonotan turned puce. “Are you trying to say this is my fault!? This is not _my_ fault. Captain! Arrest this man!” The King pointed directly at the Gerudo King, and Zelda grabbed hold of Ganondorf’s hand tightly, feeling his muscles tense in readiness for battle. She’d already watched him die once, she didn’t think she could stand it again.

“Papa no!” She cried, but then realised at the same moment her father did that Link hadn’t moved.

“Captain!” Blustered the King. “Weren’t you listening? Arrest him!”

Link looked torn, but then he very deliberately shook his head, stepping off the dais.

Zelda legitimately thought her father was having a coronary as he shot to his feet.

“WHAT!?!? Captain, is this treason? You defy me?”

Link rubbed the back of his neck, looking extremely uncomfortable. “It’s not that I disobey you, your Majesty.” He began. “It’s more that I cannot disobey the Princess.”

There was an awkward silence as her father’s gaze found her own. “Then my own daughter conspires against me?”

“No Papa of course not!” She cried, at the exact moment Link spoke.

“No, your Majesty, I meant only that as the bearer of Courage, I am bound to the bearer of Wisdom. I cannot move against her will.”

Silence fell, damp and heavy, after these words. Zelda turned eyes full of gratitude towards the hero, who grinned back.

“Bound, eh?” Asked her father nastily.

“Yes.” Said Link honestly. “As the bearer of Wisdom, the Princess is the only one who can command me. I follow your orders, my King, until the moment they clash with the Princess’s.”

Link turned towards Ganondorf now, looking solemn. “I must now offer you my apologies, and ask your forgiveness, your Majesty. Had I known this went against the Princess’s wishes, I’d never have led my men against you.”

Ganondorf frowned at Link for a moment longer, thinking over his reply. It was obvious the young man was completely infatuated with Zelda, looking at her with puppy dog eyes; he’d known the moment he’d declared Zelda to be his wife that Link felt some measure of jealousy. “Thank you.” He said shortly, content to leave it at that.

Jonotan snorted, folding his arms tightly, ignoring the light touch the Queen bestowed to his hand, clearly attempting to calm him as he glared at his daughter. “So you stand by this ridiculous statement that this is _my fault?”_

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Papa.” Zelda said primly. “I told you I didn’t want to marry Caenar, you didn’t listen, so I left. The Gerudo were kind enough to-”

“Wait.” Interrupted Link, with a slightly apologetic look at his King. “You left _yourself?”_  
Ganondorf scowled, and watched as Zelda stared at the Captain of the Guards, confusion and irritation written on her features. He felt confused as well. Why didn’t they seem to know she’d left of her own will? Suspicion crept up on him. What had Cabo told them?

“Captain.” Zelda began slowly, clearly having the same suspicions as him. “Just what exactly did ambassador Cabo relay?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ganondorf stiffen slightly.

Link looked confused. “He- he said that you had been captured.” He said, making Ganondorf roll his eyes.

Zelda slowly let out her breath. “Really.” She said flatly. “It may surprise you then, to learn that I wasn’t. I left the castle because I didn’t wish to marry Caenar. I wasn’t even with the Gerudo for the first month. I was exploring Lanayru and Eldin.”

The Queen spoke softly then, cutting off her husband. “How did you end up with the Gerudo, dearest?”

She huffed a short embarrassed laugh. “I was in the Goron territories. I went along one of the passes to catch a glimpse of the desert. I was curious; I’d never seen it before, so I decided to go. While I was in the mountains, I slipped, fell, knocked myself out and broke my ankle.” She turned to smile at the Gerudo besides her. “Ganondorf found me and bound my ankle, and then he very kindly invited Tetra to the desert to recuperate.”

“Tetra?” Asked Jonotan unwillingly.

“Well, I was using a false name, of course.” She shrugged slightly. “I couldn’t go prancing about the countryside calling myself Zelda; It would have only bought me a one way ticket back home. None of the Gerudo knew who I was.” Zelda sincerely hoped Ganondorf would aid her small fib; it was mostly true, after all.

Thankfully, he nodded in agreement. “It’s true. None of us had any idea who she was until Cabo showed up and started making _accusations_.” It was clear from his tone of voice he was still very angry over this.

Jonotan leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin absentmindedly, clearly lost in thought. Eventually, he spoke. “Have Cabo summoned at once.”

A footman leaped to do his master’s bidding, and the room was silent for the length of time it took for footsteps to become audible outside. To be perfectly honest, the ambassador’s reaction was quite possibly one of the funniest things Zelda had ever seen in her life. Cabo strode purposely into the room, bowed sharply, and began to speak when he caught sight of the Gerudo King. The effect was startling and immediate; his skin took on the hue of week old porridge, beads of sweat popped out on his round head and his knees buckled slightly.

“It’s not possible.” He whispered, looking utterly petrified. Ganondorf’s lip curled.

“Minister Cabo.” Said Jonotan, standing up. “My daughter and King Ganondorf claim that the Gerudo are innocent in this, er… misunderstanding. Zelda, you told Cabo you left Hyrule of your own accord?”

“Yes, I did.” She said indignantly. “Of course I did. Cabo promised me he’d tell you that.”

Jonotan nodded and stroked his moustache. “Minister, why did you mislead us? If my daughter tells the truth, and I rather think she _is_ , then you have purposely manipulated Hyrule into accusing the Gerudo.”

Cabo was sweating wildly. “Why, the Gerudo have obviously brainwashed or blackmailed the princess into agreeing with this-”

Ganondorf’s growl cut him off. “You speak dangerously, _Minister_.” He spat.

Cabo strongly resembled a caged rat, his lip curled in disgust as he glared at the desert King. “I don’t care if I do.” He snapped. Ganondorf’s eyes widened then narrowed in anger as he folded his arms.

The Gerudo King then turned back to face her father. “I demand some kind of reparation for this. Not only have my people been accused of a crime they did not commit, but you have invaded my kingdom. Our fortress has been damaged and many lives have been lost.” His voice became low and threatening. “The Gerudo have been at peace with Hyrule recently. I’d hate for that to _change_.”

Zelda stared up at him with wide eyes, taking in Ganondorf’s changed demeanour. He looked every inch the brutal savage right now, a vicious snarl twisting his features, his height and breadth taking up all the space as Jonotan considered things carefully. Finally, the Hylian King nodded.

“Very well.” He said slowly. “I can admit that Hyrule is indeed in the wrong here. Is there anything in particular that you would request?”

Ganondorf straightened even further. “Yes.” He said darkly, before turning to look at Cabo. “His life.”

There was silence for several heartbeats as Cabo turned an interesting shade of green. Zelda moved forwards slightly and laid a hand on Ganondorf’s wrist. He seemed to know what she was going to say before she said it.

“This man has caused the death of my sisters.” He said, his voice hard as he glanced at her and then glared at Jonotan. “I will accept nothing less.”

The Hylian King stood slowly.

“Your Majesty!” Cried Cabo. “Surely you aren’t going to let this savage dictate your-” His sentence trailed off as Jonotan held up a hand, looking severe.

“I am afraid I cannot let this slide, Minister.” He said sternly. “His Majesty is correct, you have been the direct root of this recent misfortune.” The King lifted a hand. “Captain, arrest Minister Cabo.” He commanded. “He will stand trial for his crimes.”

Cabo looked astonished, and then he swivelled his head to give such a look of loathing to Ganondorf that Zelda felt herself shrink slightly. The Gerudo King stood tall, his arm wrapping around her waist to pull her closer as Cabo was led away, his red faced glare never leaving her husbands for a moment.

Finally, the door closed behind the guards and their prisoner, and Zelda turned her attention to her parents, as did Ganondorf. Her father didn’t look very impressed at the Gerudo’s grip on her waist, but he ignored their contact in favour of inclining his head.

“I hope you will allow me to extend my sincerest apologies for this, er, _misunderstanding_ , your Majesty.”

Ganondorf nodded. “So long as Cabo is executed I can have no further quarrel with your Kingdom. I will take my leave shortly; I need to get back to my people.”

Jonotan nodded. “Of course. I am glad this has been resolved.” He paused slightly. “Zelda, are you…?”

She looked up at her almost-husband and then back to her father. “I’m going with Ganondorf.” She said.

Her father heaved a sigh. “Well.” He said almost dejectedly. “I suppose if you are married then there isn’t a great deal to be said on the subject. When will you depart?”

Zelda looked up at Ganondorf again, unsure of what he wanted to do, and nodded in agreement as he spoke. “We’ll leave in the morning. I need to get back to my people, but I’m sure Zelda will want to say goodbye.”

She was suddenly attacked by emotion as she looked at her mother, and leaned a little more heavily into Ganondorf’s side as she nodded.

“Well.” Said Jonotan again. “Zelda, I trust you can show his Majesty to the dining hall when it’s time for the evening meal?”

At her nod, her father made a slight dismissive noise, still clearly annoyed he wouldn’t get his alliance with Labrynna after all, and left the room. After a decidedly wistful glance at the princess, which Ganondorf interpreted with no small amount of irritation, Link and a measure of the guards followed him, but the Queen stayed put, waiting until her husband had left the room before she almost ran down the dais to clasp Zelda’s hands in her own.

Ganondorf took a step back as Zelda threw her arms about her mother’s neck, taking the opportunity to study the Queen of Hyrule. He could immediately see it was from her that Zelda got her beauty; even with fine lines around her mouth and eyes, the Queen was a beautiful woman – tall and fair, with intelligent blue eyes, her figure still youthful, her grace and charm evident even in stillness.

The Queen looked up from where she was whispering something in Zelda’s ear to meet his eyes, gratitude swimming in hers.

“So this is my son-in-law?” She asked with a wry smile.

Ganondorf nodded, and Zelda pulled back from her hug to gesture at him with a smile. “Mamma, this is King Ganondorf Dragmire. My husband.”

He grinned at how proud she sounded.

“Ganondorf, this is my mother, Queen Irania.”

He bowed as the Queen curtsied. “A pleasure to meet you, your Majesty.” She said warmly.

“Likewise.” Ganondorf returned; was Irania genuine or was this an act for Zelda’s sake?

“I must thank you; it seems you’ve saved my daughter’s life.”

He inclined his head, unsure of what to say next. Thankfully, Zelda took over the conversation.

“Oh, Mamma.” She said with a laugh. “Let’s not get too morbid.” She hugged her mother again. “I’ll come and see you tonight, after dinner.”

Ganondorf looked over his shoulder at the Queen as Zelda led him to the door; the woman’s eyes were sad before she turned and walked away, cutting a lonely figure.

Once he and Zelda were walking down the corridor, alone, he gave her hand a squeeze. “I feel a little guilty.” He said. “Spiriting you away from your mother like this; she looks devastated.”

He regretted opening his mouth as soon as he saw the downturn of Zelda’s lips. “Poor Mamma.” She said softly. “I wish she could be happy.”

“She isn’t?”

“No. Hers was an arranged marriage; Papa doesn’t care about her at all. She gave him an heir, so her duty was completed years ago.”

“Hylians are strange the way you sacrifice your happiness for the sake of others.” He said, tugging his hair thoughtfully. “You say your mother has been miserable for over twenty years. I don’t understand why she would put up with it.”

Zelda shrugged rather uncomfortably. “She hasn’t any other choice.”

“She’s a Queen. Can’t she do as she pleases?”

“My father runs the show, not Mamma.” Zelda smiled sadly. “She tells me often that I am the bright light in her darkness. Oh, how can I leave her?”

Ganondorf felt a moment of panic; what if Zelda changed her mind and decided to stay? “Invite her to the desert.” He said swiftly, then attempted to cover up his panicked words. He didn’t want to lose her. Not now, not like this. “As a… diplomatic thing. We could… extend a formal invitation to her. That way, she could spend time with you and escape her husband whenever she liked.”

Zelda turned to beam up at him. “You’d do that? Thank you.” Her words were fervent, and he leaned down to press his lips to the corner of her mouth. Then, his curiosity overcame him.

“So… tell me about this hero of yours.”

Zelda looked a little confused. “Hero of _mine?”_

He raised a brow. “Don’t play innocent, Zelda. He very clearly likes you.”

She turned bright red. “Well… yes I know…”

Ganondorf was enjoying himself over the jealousy that lurked beneath. “Oh?” He asked, lifting her chin. “Just how close has the princess gotten to her hero?”

She bypassed red and went straight to maroon. “He – I – nothing!”

“Oh?” Ganondorf leaned down, thoroughly enjoying teasing her as he kissed her lightly. “Are you sure? Another man hasn’t known these lips?”

Zelda threw her arms around his neck. “You’re not… angry?” She asked anxiously, and a wave of jealousy washed through him. They _had_ done something.

“Then he has?”

She buried her face in his throat. “He – kissed me once.” She mumbled.

“Hmph.”

“It was funny actually; I’ve never heard a man apologise so fast in my life.”

“So it’s one sided?”

She pulled back to frown at him. “Of course. Link is a dear, but he… I don’t know. I don’t fancy him.”

He leered down at her. “I’m glad to hear it, funnily enough.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, then smiled softly, moving closer. “Well, if you’re feeling jealous, let me reassure you-” she kissed him softly. “-I love you, and only you.”

“Mmm. I must admit, hearing you say that might actually be worth keeping peace with Hyrule, even after Cabo’s little stunt.”

“You’d do that for me?”

Ganondorf considered her words carefully. Would he? Actually, he rather thought he _would_. “I’d do anything for you Zelda.” He purred against her mouth, relishing her slight gasp as she then turned her head so her lips met his properly; Ganondorf sank a hand into her hair and pulled her closer as she looped her arms around his neck, knowing then that their lives were forever intertwined. He, and his future incarnations would never forget this, forget her – he and the Princess of Hyrule would be bound together. _Forever_.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Cloak and Dagger](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6336856) by [selahexanimo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/selahexanimo/pseuds/selahexanimo)




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